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TENNESSEE: 



us 



. Agricultural & Mineral Wealth, 



WITH AN 



^I^PEISTDIX, 



SHOWING THE 



EXTENT, YALUE AND ACCESSIBILITY OF ITS ORES, 
WITH ANALYSES OF THE SAME. 



BY 

J. B. KILLEBREW, A. M., 

C<m!r of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. 




NASHVILLE: 

Tavel, Eastman & Howell, Pkinters to the State. 

1876. 



To His Excellency, Gov. Jas. D. Porter: 

I herewith submit a collection of facts pertaining to Tennessee, 
which, at your suggestion, has been prepared for distribution at the 
Centennial Exhibition. 

T have the honor to be, 

Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

; J. B. KiLLEBREW, 

Commissioner of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. 

June 15, 1876. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 

J. B. KILLEBREW, Comm'r, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 



PREFATORY. 



The continued and increasing demand for some manual treating of 
"the resources of Tennessee, from persons in every portion of this 
country and Europe, and the earnest requests from the Commissioners 
of the Centennial Exhibition, have prompted me to prepare the ac- 
companying work. Some of it has been reprinted from the stereo- 
typed plates of the Abridgement of the Resources of Tennessee, ordered 
by the Commissioners of Agriculture, but a great deal of valuable 
matter pertaining to our mineral wealth, the result of more recent in- 
vestigations, has been added in an Appendix. In this Appendix may 
be found analyses of iron ores from every division of the State, / 
besides a great deal of fresh information which has never been em- 
braced in any previous report. Especial attention has been given to 
such information as relates to our iron deposits. The State of Ten- 
nessee is remarkably rich in its beds of coal, iron, marble, cement rock, 
water power, and building materials. Prominence has been given in 
this work to such facts as will lead to an investigation of the peculiar 
advantages the State offers for the production of iron. It is believed, 
and this belief is steadily gaining ground with every fresh develop- 
ment, that Tennessee will in time become the great centre of iron 
manufacture in the United States. The excellence and great variety 
of the iron ores, the abundance and cheapness of fuel, which consists 
of both stone-coal and wood for the manufacture of charcoal, the con- 
tiguity of these to »navigable streams and railroads, the salubrity 
and excellence of the climate, the productiveness of the soils, and the 
consequent cheapness of livhig, assure no doubtful future to the ^tate 
of Tennessee. As will be seen, there are in the State brown and red 
hematites, . magnetite, specular, and fossil ore All the forms of 
limonite, namely, compact, pipe, pot, needle or gothite, turgite, bog, 
shot, black-jack, honeycomb, plate, slag, crystalline; also black band, 
carbonate of iron — these, and many more of inferior importance, are 
found in some of the divisions of the State. By a proper admixture 
of these ores any variety of iron that the market may demand can be 
made. 

Rich coal fields, lying in proximity to inexhaustible beds of iron, 
can be bought for a nominal sum, not one-tenth what such property is 
worth in Pennsylvania. Timber privileges can be had for five cents 
per cord, and as a cord of wood makes about twenty-five bushels of 
charcoal, less than thirty cents expended in timber will suffice for 
making a ton of iron. 

As to the quality of Tennes'^ee iron, there can be no question at this 
>dav. [r has stood the severest tests. Loup; ajro it was demonstrated 
•that to ride upon a steamboat whose boilers were made of Tennessee 



4 Prefatory. 

iron amounted practically to a life insurance. It has no rival as a 
boiler plate. Its toughness of fibre is remarkable. When examined 
through a magnifying glass, the fibrous structure resembles a bundle 
of wires closely welded. Nor does it recrystallize readily by vibra- 
tions. The railroad bridges made of it and subjected to powerful 
vibrations, have given no signs of failure. Long ago it was subjected 
to a severe test at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and pro- 
nounced by competent judges to be equal in every particular to the 
best Swedish iron. Tennessee charcoal iron now takes the front rank 
for car wheels, and has proved superior to all other iron of America 
for the manufacture of sugar kettles. 

The iron age has reached its noontide, and the age of steel is fast 
asceisding the horizon. In any estimates for the future, it would be 
well to consider the changes that will, in all probability, occur in this 
particular. Railroads cannot afford to use rails made of iron costing 
half as much as rails made of steel, when the latter will last seven 
times as long. Nor can railroad carriages or railroad bridges be built 
of costly timber, when they may be constructed of steel, light, strong, 
and indestructible by fire, at a cost far less, in proportion to their du- 
rubility and strength. 

In the State of Tennessee there are large deposits of ore mixed with 
manganese, from which the best spiegeleisen is made, a fracture of 
which exhibits a brilliant silvery lustre of great beauty. These ores- 
occur in Greene county, in Dickson and other counties, while extens- 
ive beds of manganese are found in many others. The ores in Greene 
county are singular in the fact that no flux is required in smelting 
them. 

As to the purity of the iron ores of Tennessee, the analyses given 
of specimens from various portions of the State* which may be found 
near the close of this pamphlet, will indicate their superiority. The 
specimens analyzed were not selected because of their supposed purity, 
but with the view of getting the average quality of the ores from the 
various localities mentioned. In every case better and worse speci- 
mens could have been procured. The analyses made of the magnetite 
from Carter county, for instance, yielded about 64 per cent of metallic 
iron, while specimens could have been selected that would have gone 
above 70 per cent. The main object in having these analyses made 
is to arrive at practical results ; to show what a well appointed and 
well managed furnace can do. In every case where the ores have been 
used in such a furnace, the yield has equalled and sometimes exceeded 
the results of the analyses. 

To Prof. B. S. Burton of the East Tennessee University, I am in- 
debted for nearly all the analyses given in the Appendix. His skill 
as an analyst is acknowledged throughout the country, and his deter- 
minations are the result of the most accurate and painstaking inves- 
tigations. A few analyses have been made by Prof. Lupton of the 
Yanderbilt University, whose ability as a chemist is recognized by the 
scientific world. 



TENNESSEE: 



ITS 



iGRICULTURAL AND MINERAL WEALTH. 



TENNESSEE IN GENERAL. 

No portion of the American continent is blessed with more natural 
advantages than the State of Tennessee. Lying between latitude 35° 
and 36° 30' north, and longitude 81° 37' and 90° 28' west fr(^n Green- 
wich, it occupies a portion of that belt in which originated the laws, 
religion, the civilization and refinement of the Western World. The 
greatest length of the State measured on a parallel of latitude is 432 
miles, and its extreme width 109 miles. A line drawn from the north- 
eastern corner of Johnson to the south-western extremity of Shelby 
county would be near 500 ijiiles in length. Its area has been estimated 
at 45,600 square miles, but more recent estimates make it but little 
more than 42,000 square miles, or 26,880,000 acres. It is bounded 
on the north by Kentucky and Virginia, on the south-east by North 
Carolina, on the south by Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, and on 
the west by the Mississippi River, which separates it from Arkansas 
and Missouri. It touches eight States on its borders, a greater num- 
ber than is touched by the boundaries of any other State in the Union 
except Missouri. It- is unequalled in the number and excellence of its 
navigable rivers. The great Father of Waters washes its western 
boundary, and the placid Tennessee and beautiful Cumberland, with 
sources in other States, sweep in concentric semicircles through the 
fairest and most valuable portions of the State, furnishing cheap water 
transportation for the varied products of the soil and of the mine. 

NATUEAL DIVISIONS. 

Tennessee has eight well defined natural divisions : 
I. Rising on its south-eastern borders in great ridge-like masses and 
treeless domes is the huge Appalachian chain, the loftiest peaks of 



6 Resources of Tennessee. 

whicli attain an elevation of more than 6,600 feet above the sea, and" 
upon whose brows and bald summits the flora of Canada and the cli- 
mate of New England maj be found. These mountains form one of the 
natural divisions of the State, and are called the Unakas. Many beauti- 
ful and. fertile valleys and coves nestle amid this grand range of moun- 
tains ; but aside from these, this division is of but limited agricultural 
importance. Its average elevation above the sea is 5,000 feet, and it 
has an area of 2,000 square miles. 

II. Adjoining this on the west, and enclosed between the Unakas 
and the Cumberland Table-land, is the beautifully fluted Valley of East 
Tennessee. This valley, so called because of the relations it bears to 
the mountains on each side, is a succession of ridges and minor valleys 
running in almost unbroken lines from north-east to south-west. If 
one could sail over it at a moderate elevation, this division would re- 
semble the tumultous waves of a stormy ocean that have been arrested 
and hardened into stony firmness; but viewed from the highest peaks 
of the Unakas, the ridges and valleys melt into a common plain. The 
innumerable valleys of this division make it, agriculturally, one of the 
most important in the State. The average elevation of this great val- 
ley is 1,000 feet above the sea, and it has an area of 9,200 square 
miles. 

III. Next in order comes the Cumberland Table-land, a high ele- 
vated plat^iu, that rises in massive grandeur to an average elevation 
of 2,000 feet above the sea, and 1,000 feet above the Valley of East 
Tennessee. The highest summits reach 3,500 feet above tide-water. 
Buried in the bosom of this plateau are huge treasures of coal and 
iron. On its eastern edge it forms almost a continuous line running 
in a north-easterly direction, and rises with an abruptness that is 
marked and striking, -presenting a formidable, gray, rocky, cliff-lined 
rampart. The western edge is irregular and jagged, notched and scal- 
loped by deep coves and valleys, which are separated by finger-like 
spurs pointing for the most part to the north-west. The soil of this- 
division is sandy, thin, porous and unproductive, and it is of but little 
agricultural importance. Its area is 5,100 square miles. 

IV. Resting against the western edge of the Cumberland Table- 
land and extending to the Tennessee River, with an average elevation 
of 1,000 feet above the sea, are the Highlands, Rimlands or Terrace- 
lands. This division is diversified in places with rolling hills and wide 
valleys. For the most part, however, it is a flat plain, furrowed by 
numerous ravines and traversed by frequent streams. The soil of this 
division is of varying fertility, but altogether it is a region of great 
agricultural importance and wealth. Its area is 9,300 square miles. 

V. In the center of these Highlands, and surrounded by them, is the 
great Central Basin, elliptical in shape, and resembling the bed of a 
drained lake. It may be compared to the bottom of an oval dish, of 
which the Highlands form the broad, flat rim. The soil of this basin 
is highly productive of all the crops suited to the latitude, and it ha& 
been well named the Garden of Tennessee. In this basin stands the' 



Civil Divisions. 7 

capital of the State. It is of the first importance as an agricultural 
region. Its area is 5,450 square miles, and it has an average depres- 
sion of 300 feet below the Highlands. This whole basin, with the sur- 
rounding Highlands, is slightly tilted towards the north-west, and ha& 
a less elevation on that side than on any other. 

VI. The Western Yallev, or the Valley of the Tennessee, forms 
the next natural division. This is comparatively a narrow valley, with 
spurs from the Highlands pointing in towards it, and sometimes run- 
ning down to the margin of the Tennessee River. The surface is bro- 
ken and irregular. The soil is fertile, but marshy spots, covered with 
cypress forests, occur in places along the river. The main valley sends 
out various subordinate ones, extending sometimes as far as twenty or 
twenty-five miles before they are lost in the Highlands. The Western 
Valley is not considered as including all the territory drained by the 
tributaries of the Tennessee, but " its general limits are the lines along 
which the Highlands on both sides for the most part break away." 
The average width of this valley is ten or twelve miles, and its length 
the breadth of the State. It has an area of 1,200 square miles, and 
an elevation of 350 feet above the sea. 

VII. The Plateau or Slope of West Tennessee is the 'seventh natu- 
ral division, and is peculiar in having but few rocks, differing in this 
particular from all the divisions mentioned above. It is a great plain, 
that slopes gradually towards the Mississippi River, gently undulating, 
and differing widely in the character of its soil and scenery. Here 
the streams are sluggish, and their banks unstable. Furrowed with 
river valleys, this division extends for an average distance of about 
eighty-four miles, when "it abrubtly terminates, falling off into a long 
and steep bluff or escarpment, that, overlooks the great alluvial low 
plain or bottoms of the Mississippi." The soil of this division is light, 
porous, siliceous, and charged with the elements of an abounding fer- 
tility. Its superficial extent is about 8,850 square miles, with an aver- 
age elevation of five hundred feet. 

VIII. The Bottoms of the Mississippi form the eighth and last nat- 
ural division, and constitute a low, flat, alluvial plain, teeming with a 
rank luxuriance of vegetable life that is almost tropical. Lakes and 
morasses are frequent. The soil is of exuberant fertility, and will 
produce year after year, with no apparent diminution in quantity, enor- 
mous crops of corn and cotton. Its agricultural resources are immense, 
and when reclaimed from the dank, dark forests, will subsist a larger 
population than any other portion of the State in proportion to its area. 
The surface embraces 900 square 1 miles, and it has an average eleva- 
tion of 295 feet above the Gulf of Mexico. 



CIVIL DIVISIONS. 
There are three recognized civil or political divisions of the State : 
I. ISiast Tennessee. Comprising all the territory from the North 
Carolina line to about the center of the Cumberland Table-land, in- 



8 Resources of Tennessee. 

eluding the first and second natural divisions and about half of the 
third, and embracing the following counties : 

Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, 
Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, 
James, JeiFerson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, 
Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sulli- 
van, Union, Washington. 

II. Middle Tennessee. Extending from the dividing line on the 
Cumberland Table-land to the Tennessee River, and comprising the 
whole of the fourth and fifth natural divisions and about half of the 
third and sixth. It embraces the following counties: 

Bedford, Cannon, Clay, Cheatham, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, 
Dickson, DeKalb, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Humphreys, 
Hickman, Houston, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Mar- 
shall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton Perry, Putnam, Robert- 
son, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, War- 
ren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson. 

III. West Tennessee. Extending from the Tennessee River to the 
Mississippi, and including the Avhole of the seventh and eighth natural 
divisions and half the sixth. The following . counties are included in 
this division: 

Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Harde- 
man, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madi- 
son, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, Weakley. 

CLIMATE. 

The most happy combination of climate appears to be that in which 
the amount of humidity and sunshine is just sufficient to produce the 
highest degree of perfection and maturity in the crops, and where the 
degree of cold is just enough to invigorate the physical system, amel- 
iorate the soil, and destroy the germs of disabling disease. Such a 
combination is to be met with in by far the larger portion of the State 
of Tennessee. Healthy breezes, by reason of elevation, sweep over 
the State and dispel the noxious exhalations of the soil. The atmos- 
phere is kept in purity by motion, as the waters of a stream. The 
miasmata which arise from low spots, charged with disease and death, 
are dissipated almost as fast as formed. The malarious districts of the 
State are very small. The days of rain and sunshine, of heat and cold, 
are beautifully ordered. Health is the rule, sickness the exception. 
Visitors often wonder at the large number of healthy old men, active, 
strong and vigorous. No State can boast of greater health, with 
greater advantages of soil and climate, and at the same time such a 
variety of crops, that are grown to perfection. The hills, the knobs, 
the mountains, the intervenient coves and valleys, give great diversity 
of sub-climate. Tennessee has indeed a double climate — one resulting 
from latitude, and the other from elevation — so interwoven and modi- 
fied by varieties of soil, position, exposure, trend of mountain ranges, 



Climate. 9 

€tc., that the characteristics of the climate of every State from Missis- 
sippi to Canada may be found in it. The deliciousness of the climate 
in spring and autumn is unsurpassed by that of Italy. The glory of 
our Indian summer, when the whole physical nature, attuned to the 
surrounding influences, exults in an abounding and jubilant vitality, 
has been a fruitful theme for the poet and philosopher. At that sea- 
son, which usually occurs in November, the softened tints of the land- 
scape, beautified by the blended colors of decaying leaves, are charm- 
ing and ravishing to the eye. An agreeable haziness pervades the 
atmosphere, which attempers the rays of the sun, destroying the 
glare without lessening the brightness. It is the most delightful 
season of the year. Spring resembles it in all save the haziness of 
the atmosphere and the bright colors of the decaying leaves of the 
forests. 

The mean temperature of the year in the Valley of East Tennessee 
is 57° Farenheit; in Middle Tennessee 58°; in West Tennessee 59°. 
The mean annual temperature of Tennessee is the same as that of some 
of the most delightful regions of the globe. Its isothermals pass 
through North Carolina, the northern part of Spain, touch the south 
of France, traverse the vine-clad hills of Italy and the classic land of 
Greece, through fig-growing Smyrna, crossing the Caspian Sea near 
its southern extremity, through the great tea-growing districts of 
China, and through the spicy fields of the Japan Islands, re-entering 
the United States near San Francisco. Though upon the same isother- 
mals there is a marked diiference between the climate of Tennessee 
and that of the European States mentioned. The range of the ther- 
mometer is not so great in the latter. Our summers are hotter but not 
so long continued, and our Avinters are colder. The orange, the olive 
and the lemon, that flourish upon the shores of the Mediterranean, d.o 
not mature in our climate. The fig ripens in some favored localities. 
But for the production of those plants that require a high degree of 
heat, it far surpasses the countries of the same isothermals in Europe. 
Indian corn, melons, annual vines, grow with amazing rapidity uponi 
fertile soils. Under the more favorable conditions, corn will grow 
three inches in a single night, and the melon and grape-vine almost as 
much. European grapes rarely do well with us. Attempts to accli- 
mate the Malaga grape-vine have proved unsatisfactory. The native 
varieties of grapes, however, are brought to a high degree of perfec- 
tion. The amount of annual rainfall in Turin is 36 inches, while the 
annual temperature is 53°. In the Maderia wine-growing districts the 
rainfall is 30 inches and the average temperature 67° — winter averag- 
ing 61° and summer 71° — showing an average range of only 10°. Our 
annual mean temperature is about 58°; rainfall, 46 inches; and range of 
thermometer, when summer and winter averages are compared, about 45° 

The mean temperature of winter in Knoxville is 38°.66 ; of sum- 
mer 74°.02. Knoxville has about the same summer temperature of 
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Louisville. It is that of the central 
part of Spain and northern part of Italy. 



lo • Resources of Tennessee. 

The mean temperature of the Central Basin in which Nashville is 
situated, is 75°. 

West Tennessee has summer means higher by about a degree than 
those of the Central Basin. The differences are sufficient to lengthen 
the growing season, and to so modify the climate as to throw a large 
part of this division into the cotton-growing region. 

The average winter temperature of the middle parallel of the State 
may be placed at about 38°, and it is doubtless nearly the same in East, 
Middle and West Tennessee. 

In Middle Tennessee January is the coldest month, 34°.08 being the 
mean of this month for 21 years; then follows December, its mean 
being 38°.54; then February, 41°, and then the remaining months in 
order as follows : November, 46°.45; March, 47°.30; October, 57°.l 6; 
April, 57°.84; May, 64°.98; September, 69°; June, 72°.14; August, 
74°.85; July, 76°.22, which, as the hottest month, terminates the 
climax. 

The temperature of the Cumberland Table-land is from four to five 
degrees lower than that of points on the same parallel in the Central 
Basin, and from two to three lower than corresponding points in the 
Valley of East Tennessee. The difference in temperature is most ap- 
parent at night. 

Through a period of twenty-two years the thermometer has never in 
Montgomery county (where the only systematic observations have been 
made for such a long period) reached 100° but once, and that was in 
1874. During the same period the temperature has fallen below zerO' 
seven times, the lowest being minus 8 in January, 1857, and 1864, re- 
spectively. 

The average length of the growing season for twenty-two years in 
Middle Tennessee, or rather the number of days between killing frosts, 
is 189. The shortest growing season was in 1872, when it was onlj^ 
162 days. The longest was in 1852, which extended from March 23, 
to November 8, and embraced 228 days. In the southern portion of 
the State the period of no frost is from twelve days to two weeks longer. 
The average mean rainfall in Middle Tennessee is 45.715 inches. The 
greatest rainfall for any one year was in 1865, and amounted to 60 
inches; the least was in 1853, and amounted to nearly 37 inches. 

There are but few States which have a more healthful climate than 
Tennessee. The percentage of deaths to the whole population of the 
United States was, for the census year beginning 1st of June, 1869, 
and ending May 31, 1870, 1.28. In Tennessee it was 1.13. There 
are twenty-four States and Territories in which the percentage was 
greater than in Tennessee, and twenty-two in which it was less. But 
it is a noticeable fact, that those States or Territories which were re- 
ported as most healthy were those which were being settled, and the 
proportion of children small. The proportion of deaths in the United 
States under five years of age to the whole number of deaths, is 41.2 
per cent. This proportion in Tennessee is less, being about 39 per 
cent. By leaving out those States and Territoties which are being set- 



Soils 1 1 

tied, it will be found that Tennessee ranks in the list of the healthiest 
States in the Union. 

' SOILS. 

Every variety of soil may be found within the limits of the State of 
Tennessee. On the Unakas are found soils derived from the disinte- 
gration of granite, which are sandy, micaceous and mellow. These 
granitic soils are confined exclusively to the 'counties bordering the 
eastern boundary of the State. Owing to the uneven surface of this 
portion of the State the capacity of these soils for field crops has been 
tested to a small extent. Wild grasses grow upon the tops of the 
mountains with great luxuriance, and afford fine pasture grounds for 
stock herders. The soil upon some of the balds is black and prairie- 
like. Buckwheat grows with great rankness, and yields with remark- 
able fecundity. 

On the Cumberland Table-land sandstone soils prevail, as well as 
on some of the ridges in the Valley of East Tennessee. 

This class of soils may be divided into five kinds, more or less dis- 
tinct. These are the Chilhowee Sandstone, Knox Sandstone, Clinch 
Mountain Sandstone, White Oak Mountain and Dyestone Rocks, and 
Cumberland Mountain Sandstone. 

1. The Chilhowee Sandstone Soil is confined to the mountain ridges, 
and is very limited in extent. Some few areas are found that will re- ' 
pay the labors of the husbandman in the cultivation of potatoes,. buck- 
wheat and garden vegetables. The Chilhowee Mountains, which pass 
through Blount county and a portion of Sevier, are sparsely settled,. 
and but a small proportion of the soil has ever been cultivated, but it 
is much used as a common pasture ground — blue-grass growing luxu- 
riantly upon some of the ridges near the Virginia line in the counties 
of Johnson and Carter. This soil prevails also upon all the north- 
westwardly interrupted range of the Unakas. 

It may be well to observe that the Unakas are a double range of 
mouGtains; that on the southeast side being continuous, and the range 
on the northwestern side being broken or interrupted. 

2. The Knox Sandstone Soil is unimportant, being confined to long, 
narrow, sharp ridges, which are often called Piney or Gomby ridges. 
This soil is confined to the Valley of East Tennessee, and is very little 
cultivated. 'It produces timber in limited quantities but not much, 
grass, and is not so valuable for pasture grounds as the preceding. 

3. TJie Clinch Mountain Sandstone Soil occurs mostly on the south- 
east side of Clinch Mountain, which traverses Grainger, Hancock and 
Hawkins counties; on PowelFs Mountain, which lies in Claiborne 
and Hancock counties; on Lone Mountain, a continuation of the latter, 
in the counties of Anderson and Union, and on some of the ridges of 
the Bays Mountain group, which lies mostly in Hawkins county. It 
is thin, sandy and poor, sparsely timbered, and has immediately under- 
lying it large sheets of sandstone. It has a pale yellowish color, and 
when the depth of the soil is sufficient, will yield Irish potatoes and. 



12 Resources of Tennessee, 

garden vegetables. It may be mentioned that the north-west sides of 
tiiese mountains have a very fertile and calcareous soil, highly produc- 
tive, the fields in many cases reaching the crests of the mountains. It 
is curious to observe the exuberance of vegetable growth on the one 
side and the poverty on the other. Stately trees with leafy tops, cov- 
ered with vines and creepers, making an impenetrable thicket, charac- 
terize the one side in its wild state, while the other, covered with an 
impenetrable shield of* sandstone, has here and there a few scanty- 
shrubs and starveling trees, typifying the indescribable sterility and 
scantiness of the soil. 

4. The White Oak Mountain and Dyestone Soil occurs on the south- 
east side of White Oak Mountain in James and Bradley counties, and 
on the slopes of the smaller Dyestone ridges. These ridges are so 
called from the occurrence of red and stratified iron ore. The rocks 
underlying this variety of sandstone soils are more varied in chemical' 
composition and give more vitality and fertility to the soil, which are 
manifested in the better growth of timber, though but small areas of 
this variety have been brought into cultivation, owing to the rugged- 
ness of the country in which it prevails. It may be added that the 
aggregate extent of this soil is very limited, and could only be repre- 
sented by mere lines on the Map. The White Oak Mountain and the 
ridges mentioned are interesting mainly on account of the abundance 
•of iron ore. 

5. The Cumberland Mountain Soil is the most important of this 
group, inasmuch as it extends over an area of about 5,000 square miles, 
covering nearly the whole surface on the top of the Cumberland Table- 
land. This soil is sandy and thin, the sand being course and angular. 
Nevertheless, at the foot of some of the knobs and ridges that rise 
above the general level of the table-land, there are areas of moderate 
fertility. The valleys, too, upon the top of the plateau and the north 
hill-sides are much above the average in fertility. This region is to- 
tally destitute of lime, extremely porous, and difficult to improve. 

There are so many contradictory statements in regard to the fruit- 
fulness of this soil, that it is hard to give an opinion that will be con- 
curred in by every one. There are two leading classes of soils on the 
table-land, the most valuable of Avhich has a yellowish red sub-soil, 
with a thin coating of humus on the surface. This character of land 
can be improved and rendered highly productive, but continual vigi- 
lance and care are required to prevent the escape of the elements of 
fertility. This may be effected by seeding to clover, which should be 
treated to frequent and liberal top-dressings of plaster of Paris. The 
soil is extremely tender, and constant care is required to prevent wash- 
ing. For the production of all kinds of fruits, including grapes, root 
crops and garden vegetables, this land is scarcely surpassed. The 
finest Irish potatoes grown in the South are raised on this table-land. 
Apples, pears, and peaches are very prolific, and the trees are thrifty 
and long-lived. It is the orchard-land of the State, and millions of 
barrels of the very best apples could be grown annually at a small 



Soils, 1 3 

cost. The high elevation secures the fruit from untimely frosts, and 
the dry atmosphere prevents a premature decay. For the growing of 
potatoes and fruits no land is superior to it, but for the cereals it is un- 
certain, and unproductive. Nevertheless some excellent crops have 
been made, and the Swiss who have settled upon this mountain-land 
are growing clover and the grasses with some degree of success. The 
lands are cheap, the climate healthful, the timber and water abundant, 
and the highway pasturage excellent. 

The second class of these soils has a light-yellow, whitish and some- 
times bluish sub-soil, with little or no humus. It is extremely porous, 
leaky and, when wet, is often inclined to be miry. In its native state 
it produces nothing but shrubby trees and a scanty growth of hardy 
weeds and coarse grass. Much of the surface is covered with lichens 
and sometimes with mosses. Manure applied to these lands soon dis- 
appears, leaving scarcely a trace after the first or second season. It is 
a serious question to determine the best uses of which these lands are 
capable. For grain-farming they are valueless, and scarcely better for 
fruits and cultivated grasses. The native grasses and herbs, with such 
of the hardy cultivated kinds as might be induced to grow upon them, 
would afford pasturage sufficient during the summer for sheep and 
goats, and perhaps for cattle. 

Besides these two leading classes of soils pertaining to the table-^ 
land, there is another, more limited in extent, but possessing peculiar 
characteristics which entitle it to special consideration. This class 
comprehends the glades and wet lands along the smaller streams. The 
soil, when wet, is of a dark-blue color, sometimes nearly black, but 
when dried it is ash-colored. Blue clay is generally found in connection 
with it as a substratum. These soils are often entirely destitute of 
timber, and covered with coarse, rank grass, and spotted with beds of 
fern, the tussocks of which form a close mat over the surface. The 
absence of timber is owing to the superabundance of water with which 
the ground is saturated throughout the greater part of the year. These 
lands present another problem, but we are more hopeful of them than 
of the class of uplands last described. It is true that many efforts to 
reclaim them have failed, but this is owing to a failure to understand 
their peculiar character. It is not enough to drain oft' the water. 
They contain large quantities of half decomposed vegetable matter, 
which imparts to them a high degree of acidity, and this must be cor- 
rected by a libera] use of alkali, and for this purpose either wood ashes 
or lime may be used. When thus treated, they are nearly equal to 
alluvial soils in fertility, and are especially valuable for meadows. 

We insert the following letter from Col. Moffat who has had much 
experience in the cultivation of Cumberland Mountain soils. 

Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6, 1874. 
J. B. Killehrew, Esq., Secretary of Bureau of Agriculture : 

Dear Sir — In reply to your favor asking my opinion of the plateau lands of the Cum- 
berland Mountains, I will endeavor to give you, in as few words as possible, my esti- 
mate of them, based upon practical experience and close observation for four years. 



14 Resources of Tennessee. 

And first, let me say that, compared with the rich alluvial soils of the Central Basin, 
these lands are poor, and the farmer who attempts to farm them in the same way that 
he does the lowlands, and depends upon a corn crop, will most certainly fail. And yet 
I consider they have advantages which render them, under intelligent treatment, the 
most desirable and intrinsically valuable lands in our State, for the following reasons: 

1. The soil, though thin, is lively, easily cultivated, and responds with a generons 
vitality to fertilizers tliat I have not seen equalled anywhere else. 

2. As a grazing country it has no superior, the natural grasses which cover the whole 
plateau afiording abundant pasture for seven months in the year. Everywhere there is 
abundance of clear, cold, freestone water, and the elevation renders the climate so de- 
lightfully cool, and free from flies, that cattle do better here than anywhere else in the 
State, wliile proper effort will secure an abundance of wintei food. All the following 
grasses and cereals can be cultivated with success: clover, herds-grass and orchard- 
grass (I have not yet sufficiently tested timothy to speak with certainty of it); rye and 
peas do well, and wheat, I think, will do well. I have only made one trial of the 
latter ; my yield was fifteen bushels per acre. 

I consider this territory the best in our State for sheep-raising. 

But my third and strongest reason for my appreciation of the plateau is the fact 
that its elevation adapts it specially for raising those products which the South cannot 
raise in its lowlands in the same perfection ; and thus, as the farmer raises northern pro- 
ducts in the midst of a southern market, his profits are great. 

The average yield of Irish potatoes here is one hundred bushels per acre, and these of 
a quality equaling those of New York or Michigan. Cabbage is another product large- 
ly imported into the South, and these also can be raised with succfess. But the great 
product of the plateau is the winter apple. We have made a careful investigation of 
apple (julture on the plateau, extending over several counties, and we have no hesitation 
in saying that an orchard in full bearing, producing the winter apple, will pay 10 per 
cent, per annum, on from $500 to $1,000 an acre. 

I have made the above estimate upon actual results which have come under my own 
observation. To sum up, I would say that I Vould not recommend the plateau lands 
to the immigrant who is very poor, and who requires immediate returns for his labor. 
Such a one could do better by renting some of the rich land already in cultivation, of 
which there is an abundance in our State. But to tlie man of moderate capital and en- 
terprise, who can afford to clear up his land, engage in stock-raising, making of butter 
and cheese, sheep-raising and fruit-growing, we know of no section where he could 
make a more profitable investment, and at the same time have such a delightful cli- 
mate, noted for its pure water, fine atmosphere, and exemption from all malarial dis- 
eases. ■ Yours truly, 

JOHN MOFFAT, 
Commissioner of Immigration for Middle Tennessee. 

P. S. — Grape culture has also been fully tested, and succeeds admirably. 

The flinty or siliceous soil, found in greatest abundance on the 
Highland Rim, and most especially in the counties of Lawrence, 
Wayne, Lewis, in less quantities in Stewart, Montgomery, DeKalb, 
Cannon, Coffee, Moore, Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson and Franklin, 
is thin, poor and hungry. It has an original poverty of constitution. 
It generally rests upon a bluish or pale yellowish sub-soil, so porous as 
to render the effects of manure unobservable after one or two years. 
Chestnut, sweet-gum, black-jack, and water-oak, with an undergrowth 
of greenbriers, huckleberry and barberry, are the characteristic growth. 
It also produces, in open woods, a coarse, rank grass, which, when 
young and tender, is palatable to "stock." Thousands of cattle and 
sheep are subsisted upon these highland pastures, and this "barren 
land" is chiefly valuable for that purpose in an agricultural point of ' 
view. Notwithstanding the sterility of this soil, it has been found well 
adapted to the .growth of almost all the varieties of fruit trees. Or- 
chards that have been standing for over half a century, are ^till buun- 



Soils. 15 

teous in their yield of fruit. The finest specimens of the apple tree 
in the State are found upon such lands in the counties of Lawrence 
and Wayne. The trees are rarely attacked by disease or insects ; and 
peach trees, planted forty years ago, are still vigorous in their growth 
and prolific in their yield. The borer and curculio are unknown, and 
the porosity of the soil enables the roots of trees to take a wide range 
in search of nourishment. These " barren lands " are usually very level 
and thinly wooded, and present to the eye a beautiful surface. Many 
settlements have from time to time been made upon this character of soil, 
but are quickly abandoned, leaving sightless, "■ broomsedge " fields and 
a few fruit trees as the only trace of their former occupancy. It would 
be unjust to those seeking homes in our , State to conceal the fact that 
this character of soil is unfit for general farming purposes, and who-' 
ever relies upon it for the growing of the ordinary crops must remain 
steeped in poverty and destitution. When the country shall have be- 
come more densely populated and great cities shall be accessible, these 
"barrens" will become valuable as a fruit region, and will have the 
capacity of supplying millions of barrels of apples and bushels of 
peaches at cheap rates. They also may be valuable as summer homes, 
for their high elevation gives them invigorating breezes, and the water 
IS as clear as light and pure as that distilled by the clouds. 

Associated with this fl^inty soil oftentimes is a chocolate-colored soil 
resting upon red clay. This is always fertile and should not be con- 
founded with soil resting upon a pale, porous clay. Spots of this char- 
acter are found in all the counties named above, and wherever found 
is sure to be productive. It is classed with the calcareous soils. 

Sandy Soils. Under this head are included the varieties of mellow 
upland and highland soils which occur in West Tennessee. They are 
based, not on solid rock, like the sandstone soils mentioned, but upon 
unconsolidated strata of matter mainly sandy. The soils resulting are 
mainly of the same character. They are called sandy or arenaceous, 
because this mineral feature greatly predominates, and are generally 
red or yellow, from the presence of a notable quantity of ferric oxide 
and silicate. It does not follow that because a soil is "sandy" it is 
therefore poor. The clay and calcareous matter that some contain give 
them a degree of body and vitality which make them for many crops 
highly valuable lands. The way they lie, too, is an important consid- 
eration. If high, plateau-like, or gently rolling and well drained, such 
lands are often highly esteemed by the farmer; when, if steep or very 
Iiilly, they are not prized. In the latter case the soils have the same 
components, but, under tillage, are easily washed and made compar- 
atively worthless. 

The Calcareo-siliceous soil occupies the eastern parts of the counties 
of Obion, Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton and Shelby. It presents an ashen 
aspect as to color and consistence, but sometimes it is of a reddish cast, 
occasionally black and oftentimes mulatto in color. It contains raoKe 
calcareous matter than {he other unconsolidated formations of West Ten- 
nessee, with the single exception of the Green Sand or Eotten Lime- 



1 6 Resources of Tennessee. 

stone. It is not unusual to meet imbedded in it concretions of carbon- 
ate of lime. At some points they may be gathered by the busheL 
The soil is similar in character to the formation — calcareous, siliceous, 
or fine grained, ashen, and sometimes slightly reddish and black earth. 
Its lands are among the most fertile in the State. The soil owes its 
good qualities, not to its chemical composition alone, but also to its 
finely pulverulent mechanical condition. Tobacco, cotton, wheat, 
oats, clover and the grasses grow luxuriantly upon it, while the native 
growth, especially in Obion and Dyer, is of marvellous exuberance. 

Calcareous Soils. These rest upon the different varieties of limestone 
found in the State, and differ mainly in having a greater or less quan- 
tity of siliceous material or clay in their composition, making them 
friable or stiff as one or the other ingredient preponderates. In dura- 
bility, productiveness and extent, they surpass all other soils in the 
State, with the exception of the alluvial. They constitute the wheat, 
tobacco, blue-grass, and much of the cotton lands of the State, and are 
found in all the minor valleys of the Valley of East Tennessee, in the 
Central Basin, on much of the Highland Rim, and in the Western Val- 
ley. But little of these soils are found in West Tennessee. These 
soils are classified according to the character of the prevailing lime- 
stone, and form the best farming areas of the State. They cover in 
the aggregate one-fourth of the surface of the State. 

Green Sand Soil. This soil is a kind of siliceous loam, resting upon 
an interesting formation in West Tennessee, which is, in the main, 
sand and clay intermixed, having as characteristic ingredients a con- 
siderable amount of carbonate of lime and numerous green grains^ 
(jjlaueonite) resembling in consistence particles of gunpowder, which, 
give the mass a light greenish color. It must be mentioned that the 
formation from which this soil is derived is loaded with shells, so much 
so that they furnish material for burning lime. This greatly influences 
the character of the soil, supplying it with fertile ingredients and mak- 
ing it friable and productive; It is well adapted to the grow^th of cotton 
and corn, and some portions to the growth of wheat. The land where 
this soil prevails is by far the most rugged portion of West Tennessee, 
and many glady spots occur, especially upon the Tennessee Ridge, west, 
and its various spurs. This soil is confined almost entirely to the east- 
ern part of McNairy and Henderson counties. 

Shaly Soil. Shales are common in many parts of the State. The 
Black Shale underlies the lands of the rim, sometimes, however, crop- 
ping out; other shales are found in great abundance associated with 
the coal strata in the Cumberland Table-land; but as a top formation 
shale is rare. In a few of the narrow valleys of East Tennessee the 
Black Shale forms the basis of the soil. This soil is cold, clayey, un- 
important and unproductive, except for the grasses. In extent it is 
very limited, and it may be improved by utilizing the accompanying 
beds of calcareous nodules, some of which are nearly pure phosphates. 

Alluvial Soil. This soil, in the aggregate, occupies a larger area 
than any other in the State ; for, to the 900 square • miles embraced 



Soils, 17 

by the great Mississippi bottoms, there must be added the lowlands of 
the Tennessee and the Cumberland rivers and that of all their tribu- 
taries. Alluvial soils also prevail in the valleys of East Tennessee. 
The whole State is furrowed by rivers, creeks, and rills, each of which 
has lying upon its margin more or less alluvial soil. Some of the 
highland counties, as Perry, are alternate ridges and valleys. The 
alluvial soils differ greatly in character, aptitudes and productive ca- 
pacity, depending in great degree upon the formations of the surround- 
ing highlands and upon the frequency or infrequency of the overflows. 
Where the water-courses flow through or over limestone formations 
the sediments which they deposit is highly calcareous. When the 
streams gather their waters from gravelly hills or sandstone ridges the 
soil is more deficient in carbpnate of lime and usually not so produc- 
tive. The character of the alluvial soil is generally determined by 
the region through which the stream flows. On many of the streams 
are terraces, elevated high above the stream-beds and not subject to 
overflow, which have all the characteristic features of the low alluvial 
soils. There are places of this kind on the Cumberland, and especially 
on Red River, a tributary of the Cumberland, which are composed of 
sand, gravel and loam, such as might be deposited by the river if 
dammed up. These fluviatile deposits are exceedingly rich in plant 
food, and make our most generous soils. Their perfect drainage and 
freedom from overflows make them very valuable and desirable. For 
the growth of wheat they are especially adapted. We have seen as 
much as forty bushels of this cereal raised upon an acre of such ele- 
vated alluvial soil. 

The streams on the Highland Rim have their lowlands highly 
charged with flinty material. The soil is free and comparatively light, 
being formed, for the most part, of the silt depositied from the waters, 
intermingled with chert and fragments of shivered limestone. Upon 
this character of soil are grown in great abundance peanuts, corn and 
potatoes. It never compacts, but remains loose and friable through- 
out the growing season. Though not so productive of timothy as the 
more clayey bottoms, this rocky alluvium is more highly esteemed for 
all the crops that require cultivation. 

The alluvium of the Mississippi forms by far the largest area of this 
soil, and differs in some degree from that on the other rivers and 
streams of the State. The Mississippi river flows upon the top of a 
ridge, the margins of the stream being higher than the country a short 
distance back. Immediately upon the banks and running back for 
half a mile or more the soil is fine, sandy, yet sufficiently argillaceous, 
impregnated with vegetable matter, mellow and rich. Back of this, 
low, marshy strips occur where the lands have not been brought into 
cultivation to any extent. Beyond these marshes the dry alluvium 
again appears, and extends out in places for many miles. This is the 
most productive region in the State, but being low and flat the situa- 
tion is liable to malarious influences, and is therefore not considered 
desirable for homes. The soil is black, and has an undetermined 
2 



1 8 Resources of Tennessee. 

depth and is totally inexhaustible. There are almost an iii finite variety 
and modification of these classes, making warm and cold, light and 
heavy, low, loamy, marly, hungry, leachy, limy, sweet, sour, sandy, 
clayey, marshy, compact, tenacious, fine, coarse, gravelly, rocky, "craw- 
fishy"; but all may be embraced in the classification given above. 

TIMBER. 

The Agricultural Department at Washington, estimating the num- 
ber of square miles in the State at 45,600, gives 15,572,789 acres as 
the amount of timber. But as the area of the State is only 42,000 
square miles, or 26,880,000 acres, there must be deducted from the 
above 2,304,000 acres, leaving of timbered or wooded land 13,268,789 
acres, or not quite fifty per cent, of the whole. The States having the 
same proportion of timber are Florida, Arkansas and West Virginia ; 
the States having a larger percentage are North Carolina, South Caro- 
lina and Georgia. All the remaining States have a less percentage of 
their lands in timber. 

Nearly every variety of timber found in the United States grows in 
the State of Tennessee. This is due, in a great measure, to the differ- 
ence of elevation which may be found in the State, which in effect gives 
a great diversity of climate. The alluvial bottoms of the Mississippi 
river are 220 feet above the level of the sea, while the highest peaks 
of the Unakas rise in grand sublimity more than 6,600 feet. It is 
due in part also to the existence of a great variety of soil. The mag- 
nificence of the forests in some portions of West Tennessee is unsur- 
passed in the United States. The rich soil, stimulated into an amazing 
activity by hat suns and a prevailing humidity, is covered with a vege- 
tation of incredible profusion. The poplar, the sassafras and oak, 
revelling in the exhuberant fertility of the earth-, attain a size second 
only to the giant redwoods of California. 

The White Ash is found all over the Central Basin, in the coves and 
north sides of the mountains and on the rich soils of West Tennessee. 
The largest trees we have met with are in Bedford county. The 
green ash is not so common, and is only met with along water-courses. 

The Beech is a common growth throughout the State, upon the moist 
soils lying upon the streams. The most extensive groves are found in 
Macon, Trousdale, Smith, Cannon, Bedford, Maury, and other counties 
in the Central Basin. 

The Birch tree is found upon Clinch river in considerable quantities. 

The Buckeye grows upon the rich soils in many parts of the State, 
and most especially in the mountainous and knobby districts, where it 
grows to the height of sixty or seventy feet, and three feet in diameter. 
It also grows upon the river-courses. 

The Red Cedm' is considered among the most valuable of all the 
woods. Formerly it was very abundant in the Central Basin, growing 
for the most part in belts or strips upon the glady limestone. The soil 
and climate of this region seem peculiarly favorable to its growth and 



Timber. 19 

to the perfection of its wood. Upon the first settlement of the State, 
cedar forests were as abundant in the Central Basin as those of oak 
and poplar. The demands, however, of the agriculturists, combined 
with the export demand, have nearly exhausted the supply in David- 
son, "Williamson, Sumner and Rutherford. The best forests are now 
found in- Marshall, Wilson, Bedford and Maury, covering in the ag- 
gregate 300 square miles. Occasional trees of a valuable size are still 
seen upon the banks of a majority of the streams in Middle Tennes- 
see. Nowhere in the United States are there found such splendid trees 
of this timber. In the counties of Marshall and Bedford solid cedar 
logs have been cut that would square twenty-four inches for a distance 
of thirty feet. 

Chestnut. Large forests of this timber are found on the ridges of 
East Tennessee, on the sandstone soils of the Cumberland Table-land, 
and in portions of the Highland E,im, especially in the counties of 
Lawrence, Wayne, Hickman and Perry. 

The Wild Cherry is found in every part of the State, but not in 
groves. The trees are scattered thinly on rich soils. 

Cotton Wood is confined almost exclusively to West Tennessee, and 
more particularly to that portion of West Tennessee that constitutes 
the alluvial bottoms of the Mississippi. It grows to an immense size, 
towering high in the air and darkening the landscape with its thick 
foliage. 

Cypress. In the swamps lying on the Mississippi and Tennessee 
rivers the cypress finds its most congenial home, and attains its highest 
development. It exists upon these rivers in considerable abundance. 
Owing to its peculiar nature it rarely grows in company with Other 
trees, but stands in isolated forests, rearing its long white trunk high 
into the upper air, while its roots permeate the deep black soil, which 
is often covered with water of an inky blackness. 

Dogwood and Elm are found all over the rich soils of the State, but 
the wood is not prized. 

Firs. Some of the highest mountain peaks are covered with the 
Balsam Firs, and they are seldom met with at a lower elcA'^ation than 
4,000 feet. The dark, sombre, dusky foliage of this tree has given the 
name to the Black Mountains of North Carolina, and makes the char- 
acteristic feature of many of the highest peaks of the Unakas. Being 
inaccessible, it is rarely made into lumber, though the trunks often rise 
100 feet in height. It is distinguised by a balsam which gathers in 
blister-like intumesences in its bark, and gives the name to the tree. 
The Black Fir is also met with in the same localities. 

Gum. Two very different species of trees are commonly called 
gum; both are quite abundant in Tennessee. The, Black Gum (Nyssa 
Aquatioa) is usually found upon rich, moist soils, and grows to a con- 
siderable size where the soil is favorable to its growth. It is a valu- 
able timber for hubs, and is much used for that purpose on account of 
the difficulty with which it splits. 

The Sweet Gum {Liquidamber Styraciflua) finds its most congenial 



20 Resources of Tennessee. 

home in wet, marshy places. It is found in every part of the State in 
such situations. Large quantities of it are manufactured into plank, 
■which is used for coarse work. It is cheaper than poplar, and decays 
much more rapidly. 

Hickory of different species is found in great quantities in every di- 
vision of the State. 

The Jjinn or Basswood is abundant in the blue-grass region of tha 
Central Basin. 

Black or Yellow Locust flourishes upon the slopes of the Highlands,, 
upon the Cumberland Table-land and upon the sides of the Unakas. 

Honey Locust is found in company with the walnut, elm, scaly- 
bark hickory, hornbeam, ash, &c., upon all the rich soils of the State. 

Sugar Maple abounds in the coves of the mountains and on alluvial 
bottoms. It formerly covered a large portion of the Central Basin. 
The Red Flowering Maple grows on wet soils and on the marshy mar- 
gins of streams. 

Red Midberry. The rich soils in every part of the State are pro- 
ductive of this tree. 

Oaks. Almost every species of this tree is found within the State. 
In the Valley of the Tennessee, especially in the counties of Hardin, 
Wayne, Perry, Humphreys, Houston and Stewart, and in the first and 
second tiers of counties in West Tennessee on the Mississippi river, the 
white oak grows to an enormous size. In .East Tennessee, on the 
ridges in the western part of that division of the State, and on the 
Unaka Mountains, this tree attains great dimensions. The ridges and 
valleys lying on Duck and Buffalo rivers are clothed with forests of 
white oak. More than 1,600,000 staves made of white oak are annu- 
ally shipped out of Tennessee river. The red oak, post oak, black 
oak and chestnut oak are found in large quantities in every portion of 
the State. The scarlet oak is found in the small swampy spots in Mid- 
dle and West Tennessee. Black-jack oak is the principal growth in 
the flat lands of Coflee, Lawrence, Wayne, Lewis, Humphreys, Dick- 
son and Hickman counties. 

Pines. The yellow pine is found in the vicinity of Knoxville, and 
on many of the parallel ridges in the Valley of East Tennessee. It is 
also found in considerable forests on the Cumberland Table-land, and 
forms considerable belts in Hardin and Lawrence counties. The white 
pine is not so abundant. It is diffused in more or less quantities over 
the slopes of the Unaka Mountains, and locally on the Cumberland 
Table-land. 

Poplar. No State can boast of finer specimens of this tree. It 
p-rows upon rich soils everywhere. In Obion and Dyer counties in 
West Tennessee, and in Maury, DeKalb and Macon of Middle Ten- 
nessee, are as fine poplar groves as can be found on the continent. 
Trees from twenty to twenty-five feet in girth, and from sixty to 
eighty feet to the first limb, are often met with. 

Sassafras. As a tree the sassafras in West Tennessee takes its place 
among the lordliest of the forest. A section of one cut near Union 



Farm Products, 21 

Oity, and exhibited at the Industrial Exposition at Nashville, measured 
sixty inches in diameter, exclusive of the bark. 

The Syeamoi'e or Buttonwood grows on the margin of streams in al- 
miost every portion of the State. 

The Tupello abounds in swampy places in West Tennessee. 

Walnut, Black. This is probably the most valuable timber tree in 
the State. It exists in considerable quantities on the slopes of the 
Cumberland Table-land, in the Central Basin and on the better por- 
tions of the Highland Rim. On the line of the Cincinnati and South- 
•ern Railroad there are extensive groves of it. 

The White Walnut is found growing on the margin of streams and 
in the better portions of Middle and East Tennessee. 

There are various other forest trees in the State, but those mentioned 
-constitute the chief timber trees Altogether Tennessee is a well tim- 
bered State, and enough remains to last for generations, if used with 
'economy. 

Poplar lumber ranges in price per hundred feet, from $1 to $2 ; oak 
from $1.50 to $3; cedar from $2 to $4; ash from $1.50 to $3; walnut 
from $2 to $4. The smaller sums named are the prices demanded at 
■saw-mills in the best timbered regions; the larger sums are the prices 
in Nashville and Memphis. 

FARM PRODUCTS. 

Tennessee ranks sixth as a corn-growing State. In 1840 it stood 
first. Its average annual production of this great cereal is not far 
from 50,000,000 bushels. The great Central Basin of Middle Tennes- 
see, the rich valleys of East, and the lowlands of West Tennessee raise 
enormous crops of this grain, and the quality is greatly superior to 
that grown in higher or lower latitudes. The grain matures earlier 
than in the north, and. dries thoroughly, fitting it to make a superior 
quality of meal, and it is noted for its freedom from rot. The average 
yield per acre for the State is about twenty -three bushels; but this 
average is low, due to the pernicious habit in some parts of the State 
of planting the same land year after year in this exhaustive crop with- 
out manure. Among the best farmers, those who practice rotation and 
clovering, the average yield is not far from forty bushels. The rent 
paid for some of the bottom lands on the upper Tennessee is twenty 
and sometimes thirty bushels of corn per acre, and the yield often 
reaches seventy-five, and in some rare instances, one hundred bushels 
per acre. 

Wheat. The usual quantity of wheat raised varies from 5,000,000 to 
10,000,000 bushels, with an average yield per acre of from seven to 
nine bushels. About 1,000,000 acres are sown annually. The best 
wheat-growing portions of the State are to be found in the upper coun- 
ties of the Valley of East Tennnesee, and the counties lying on the 
north side of the Highland Rim, the northern counties of West Ten- 
nessee, and the rolling lands of the Central Basin. The average in 



22 Resources of Tennessee. 

these regions is not far from fifteen bushels. It could be raised to- 
twenty by the exercise of more intelligence on the farm. Though the- 
average yield of wheat is far from being what a thorough preparation 
of the land and early seeding could make it, yet the excellence of the 
berry compensates in some degree for the scantiness of the yield. The- 
flour made of Tennessee wheat commands in every market a superior 
price. This fact, and its cause, is clearly stated by Henry C. Carey^ 
the distinguished political economist: 

"Even before the war a great change had commenced in regard to 
the sources ffom which northern supplies of cereals were to come, Ten- 
nessee and North Carolina furnishing large supplies of wheat, greatly 
superior in quality to that grown on northern lands, and commanding 
higher prices in all our markets. The daily quotations show that 
southern flour raised in Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia, brings from 
three to five dollars more per barrel than the best New York Genessee 
flour; that of Louisiana and Texas is far superior to the former even, 
owing to the superior dryness, and the fact that it contains more gluten, 
and does not ferment so easily. Southern flour makes better dough 
and maccaroni than northern or western flour, it is better adapted for 
transportation over the sea, and keeps better in the troj)ics. It is^ 
therefore, the flour that is sought after for Brazil, Central America, 
Mexico and the West India markets, which are at our doors. A bar- 
rel of strictly southern flour will make twenty pounds more bread than 
Illinois floiir, because, being so much dryer, it takes up more water in, 
making it." 

Add to this the fact that the Tennessee harvest precedes that of New 
York and the North-western States by nearly a month, and the wheat 
crop comes in upon a bare market, and it becomes evident that, so far 
as quality and time of selling go, our statement of the superiority of 
Tennessee as a wheat section is borne out. 

Oats. Tennessee annually produces about 5,000,000 bushels of oats. 
The best authorities put the yield at sixteen bushels per acre, but the 
primitive methods employed in separating the straw from the grain 
leave a large portion of the latter adhering to the straw. Twenty-five 
bushels per acre can be grown upon any soils in any portion of the 
State that have not been impoverished by bad tillage. Even upon the 
thin, barren, flat lands that are found upon the highlands in Lewis, 
Lawrence, Coffee, and other counties, oats grow with a prodigal luxu- 
riance, as also upon the sandstone soils of the Cumberland Table-land. 
Upon the richer valley and bottom lands fifty bushels per acre is not 
considered an exorbitant yield, and seventy-five have been made.. 
Greene, Hawkins, Knox, Sullivan, Roane, Washington and Blount, in 
East Tennessee; Davidson, Wilson, Montgomery and Sumner, in Mid- 
dle, and Obion, Dyer and Gibson in West Tennessee, furnish the best 
soils for oats. 

Tobacco. Tennessee stands third as a tobacco-growing State, Ken- 
tucky being first and Virginia second. The annual product of this. 



Farm Products, 23 

great staple varies from 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 pounds, or from 
18,000 to 22,000 hogsheads. The average yield per acre is about 800 
pounds, though as much as 1,200 and 1,500, and even 1,800 can be 
grown upon the best soils in good seasons. It acquires a peculiar rich- 
ness grown in some of the soils of Kentucky and Tennessee. Tough, 
thick, gummy and leathery in its character, it has the capacity of absorb- 
iug water, which makes it peculiarly adapted to the manufacture of 
strips for the English market. The tobacco known as the " Clarks- 
ville tobacco," and which grows on the rich red soils of Stewart, Mont- 
gomery, Robertson, Cheatham, Dickson, and in the counties of Ken- 
tucky lying contiguous to the three counties first named, will absorb 
about thirty-three per cent, of water when dry. The quality of 
the tobacco grown in these counties is of such excellence, that it 
is well known in all the tobacco marts of the world. The farmers, 
however, by overcropping and inattention to housing, stripping and 
firing, have reduced the standard until it comes in competition with 
the inferior grades grown elsewhere. If, instead of planting so 
much, they would plant less upon lands well manured, and thus 
raise the best style of tobacco, as they can do, they would have com- 
petition from but one place in the United States, and that is the 
lands on the James river in Virginia. A great error is committed 
in aiming at quantity instead of quality. The region around 
Clarksville is singularly favored in the peculiar composition of the 
soil and in the inscrutable agency of climate for the production of 
this crop. Under judicious culture and correct management the farm- 
ers may grow a quality of tobacco that can be grown in no other place 
in the Mississippi Valley. In raising an inferior article they are 
thrown in competition with the farmers of Indiana, Illinois and Mis- 
souri, who can produce a low grade much cheaper, because the soils in 
those States will yield a greater number of pounds per acre. Mani- 
festly it would be to the highest and best interest of the farmers to 
produce the highest type, and thus avoid competition, and secure a 
better price. For this reason small farmers would do well. Indeed, 
there are but few places in the South where intelligent farmers could 
do better. By careful management a skillful tobacco raiser can often- 
times realize from $150 to $200 per acre. 

The upper parts of Sumner, Trousdale and Smith, all of Macon, 
Clay and Jackson, and parts of Overton, Putnam, Wilson and DeKalb, 
raise an article of tobacco principally consumed in the French and 
Spanish markets, a small quantity going to Italy and Germany. Obion, 
Dyer, Henry, Weakley and Benton counties, in West Tennessee, raise 
a very fine manufacturing leaf. It is, indeed, the finest article for that 
purpose grown west of the Alleghany mountains. It is rich, silky, 
mild, of a light color, some of it rivalling the brilliant colors of the 
fading hickory leaf. It is especially valued for bright and mottled 
wrappers. All of this tobacco is consumed in the United States, 
none being exported on account of its high price and scarcity. This 
tobacco is not so well adapted for stemming purposes, and even if it 



24 Resources of Tennessee. 

were, the price is too high to make its use in this manner profitable. 

Coffee, Warren, Moore, Lewis, Lawrence, Wayne, Hickman, Hum- 
phreys and Dickson raise small quantities of light, mild tobacco. 

Nearly every county in East Tennessee grows tobacco enough for 
home consumption. 

Cotton. This is one of the great staple products of Tennessee. In 
1850 the number of bales raised in the State was 212,000; in 1860, 
2.96,464; in 1870, 181,842. The number of acres devoted to this 
staple in the State was for 1870, 526,180; in 1871,489,352; 1872, 
552,403; 1873, 613,267. 

The best cotton in the State is grown on the lands in the southern 
half of West Tennessee. The staple is long and heavy, and the aver- 
age yield on the best lands per acre is from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds of 
seed-cotton. The farmers in this portion of the State give to this 
staple almost their entire attention. The uplands yield a very desira- 
ble article, much sought after by the spinners of New England and 
Great Britain on account of its cleanness. At the London Exposition 
in 1851, the cotton raised by Col. John Pope, of the county of Shelby, 
received the medal as the best cotton known to the world. 

Cotton is grown in the whole of the Central Basin south of Nash- 
ville. Lincoln, Rutherford, Giles, Davidson and Maury are the prin- 
cipal cotton-growing counties in Middle Tennessee, these five counties 
producing annually about 40,000 bales. The quality of the staple 
grown in Middle Tennessee is inferior, being generally short and light, 
though this varies greatly with the season. The crop of 1873 was a 
very superior artircle, and resembles the best "uplands" of Mississippi. 

The best counties for cotton growing in West Tennesse, arranged 
according to their productiveness, are Shelby, Fayette, Haywood, Tip- 
ton, Gibson, Madison, Lauderdale, Carroll and Dyer. The cotton 
area has been extending north during the past two or three years into 
Lake, Obion and Weakley. The average annual production for West 
Tennessee is not far from 160,000 bales. 

Hay and Grasses. About 90,000 acres of land in Tennessee are 
used for the raising of hay, which yield about 110,000 tons, or about 
one and a quarter tons per acre. This crop is valued at nearly 
$2,000,000, and is one of the most useful crops grown in the State, 
and one which is peculiarly adapted to the numerous bottoms that 
skirt the many streams throughout the State. No State is more abund- 
antly supplied with water-courses, and the hay crop of the State might 
be made to rival that of the great States of New York and Ohio, 
if farmers would seed the rich alluvial bottoms to timothy and herds- 
grass. Nor is the hay-growing portion of the State confined to the 
lowlands bordering on the streams. On the northern slopes of the 
ridges of East Tennessee, and on the rolling lands of the Central 
Basin, timothy grows with a surprising luxuriance; and upon the flat 
lands of the Highland Eim, and in the sandy lands of West Tennessee, 
herds-grass finds a fitting soil, and grows to a height almost incredible. 
Knox, Greene, Sullivan and Washington, in East Tennessee, are 



Farm Products. 25 

among the best hay-growing counties in the State. Greene is the ban- 
ner county, and Davidson stands second. Considerable hay is grown 
in Carter and Johnson, 2,000 feet above the sea. Were the rich bot- 
toms of the Mississsppi reclaimed and put to hay, Tennessee might 
supply the entire Southern States with that article. 

While the average yield of hay for the State is small, instances are 
given where meadows favorably located have yielded, for a period of 
ten years in succession, from two to three tons per acre. 

Barren or prairie-grass springs up through the woods in many of the 
counties about the first of April, arid furnishes abundant grazing 
until the first of August. Wherever the forest is not so dense as to 
exclude the light and heat of the sun, on the streams and table-lands 
of the Cumberland Mountains, and on the sandy, flinty and siliceous 
*'flat woods" of the whole State, this grass still holds. possession where 
the domestic animals which roam at large are not numerous enough to 
keep it down. 

Nimble Will, white clover and crab-grass grow on rich limestone 
soils in the woods and fields, and supply good grazing. Herds-grass, 
timothy, and the millets, are relied upon for hay; meadow oat-grass, 
orchard-grass and blue-grass for pasture, and red clover for hay, graz- 
ing and as a fertilizer. On all limestone soils clover grows with great 
luxuriance, but the blue-grass region is confined mainly to the Central 
Basin. 

^ye. This cannot be regarded as a staple crop, though the soil and 
climate both are adapted to its growth. It is rarely sown except for 
winter and early spring grazing, or as a renovator of the soil. Sown 
in September on fertile, well prepared soils, it forms a complete mat 
before the cold days of December. Sheep, cattle and horses eat it with 
avidity, and the usual custom is to graze it in the spring until the clover 
fields or highway pastures will supply ample feed. 

Barley. While the number of acres devoted to barley in the State 
does not exceed 5,000, it is yet one of the most profitable crops grown 
by our farmers. The average yield per acre is about eighteen bushels. 
About one-third of allthat is grown in the State is raised in Davidson 
county. It flourishes well in the high valleys and coves in Johnson 
and Carter counties, and would grow well in all the rich valley lands 
of East Tennessee. The black lands of the Central Basin yield very 
large crops. Upon such lands twenty-five to thirty-five bushels per 
acre is quite a common yield. Stock-raisers prefer it to any other 
grain for the feeding of young colts. 

Sweet Potatoes grow well on all well drained soils of the State, and 
especially where the land is friable and of moderate fertility. Bottom 
lands are not usually the best for the growth of this vegetable; the 
tendency of such places is to produce an enormous growth of vines at 
the expense of the tubers ; nor does cold, clayey land suit them. The 
flavor is greatly improved in a soil with a small admixture of sand or 
fine gravel. When grown upon very rich soils they are apt to be 
sappy and insipid. Visitors from the North at the exhibition of the 



26 Resources of Tennessee. 

Nashville Agricultural and Mechanical Association expressed more sur- 
prise at the size and excellence of the sweet potatoes than of any other 
vegetable. They may be grown on suitable soils at tlie rate of 100 
bushels per acre. The annual yield is 1,200,000 bushels. They are 
grown in every division of the State. The counties rai.sing the great- 
est quantities are Shelby, Obion and Gibson, in West Tennessee; Da- 
vidson, Wilson and Montgomery, in Middle; and Knox, Bradley and 
Anderson, in East Tennessee. Davidson raises by far the greatest 
number, when counties are compared; but West Tennessee when we 
compare divisions. The elevated land of- the Unakas is not suited to 
their growth, the climate being too northern in its cliaracter. 

Irish Potatoes. Prolific in yield when planted upon suitable soils 
and well worked, there is no good reason why Tennessee should not 
supply this vegetable to all the States South. Upon land moderately 
fresh and well manured, the yield can be brought up to 400 bushels 
per acre. Yet the statistics of this crop show an average yield of only 
seventy-seven bushels, and the number of bushels raised 1,122,000. 
This shows that there is not one bushel to each inhabitant. The Irish 
potato grows well in every division of the State, and especially is it 
brought to great perfection on the elevated areas. The Cumberland 
Table-land, though yielding but sparsely of the leading crops, pro- 
duces the Irish potato in profusion. The tubers grown upon the sand- 
stone soil of this division are well flavored, rich" and mealy. No more 
pro.fitable crop, and no one for which there is a readier demand, can 
engage the attention of Tennessee farmers. The potato bugs some- 
times destroy the late potatoes, but rarely ever injure those planted in 
February or March. As yet the genuine Colorado bug is unknown in 
Tennessee. 

Peanuts. The great peanut-growing region of the State embraces 
the counties of Perry, Hickman and Humphreys, and portions of Dick- 
son and Lewis — all upon the west side of the Highland Rim. The 
entire production of j)eanuts in the State reached, in the year 1872, 
680,000 bushels. Of these Hickman made 200,000, Humphreys 
250,000, Perry 200,000, and Dickson 30,000. The excessive produc- 
tion for that year reduced the price so low that the crop was diminished 
to 110,000 bushels for the year 1873, of which Hickman produced 
40,000, Humphreys 40,000, Perry 27,000, and Dickson 3,000. The 
prices paid in the JSTashville and Cincinnati markets vary from 60 cents 
to $2.25 per bushel, according to production, quality and demand. 
The average yield is about forty bushels per acre. Land suitable for 
peanuts has advanced 100 per cent, since their first introduction as a 
cro|) in the region named. The best soils for peanuts are those which 
are well drained, and have a large quantity of intermingling gravel. 
Rich, generally flinty, bottoms, lying between ridges are favorite spots. 

It may be well to state that the estimates of the yield of crops ai-e 
based upon a very poor specimen of farming, and under a more judi- 
cious culture the productions of the soil might be increased from fifty 
to one hundred per cent. 



Farm Products. 27 

Other Products. In addition to the foregoing crops, there are grown 
in particular localities hemp, broora-corn, flax, sorghum and rice. All 
the garden vegetables are raised in abundance. Peas, beans, onions, 
lettuce, cabbage, turnips, radishes, salsify, celery, cucumbers, butter- 
beans, tomatoes, squash, melons, carrots, beets, okra, egg-plant, aspara- 
gus, and many others are found in almost every garden. 

It is thus seen that Tennessee grows almost every product to be found 
North or South. Nor is this to be wondered at. The many varieties 
of soil and the difference of elevation give to Tennessee a very widt; 
range in its agricultural products. Assuming that an elevation of 333 
feet is equivalent, so far as temperature is concerned, to one degree of 
latitude, it will be seen that the highest domes of the Unakas, in the 
east, differ from the lovAdands of the Mississippi by nearly fifteen de- 
grees of latitude — the one having a semi-tropical climate, the other 
that of Canada. We have seen, also, that the soils do not differ less 
than the climate. 

Fruits of all kinds grow well. Peaches, that attain their most luscious 
sweetness in a sunny climate, find in the State a congenial home, where 
they are brought to their highest perfection. Apples, upon the ele- 
vated lands, bear as profusely and ripen as deliciously as in the great 
apple-growing region of Ohio. Grapes of many varieties bear in un- 
surpassed luxuriance upon the sunny slopes and rich hills in every part 
of the State, Vineyards of all sizes, from one acre to forty acres, are 
being planted in every division of the State, and tlie certainty with 
which they bear and ripen assures for Tennessee, in the near future, a 
high pre-eminence as a grape-growing State. 10,000 pounds of grapes 
per acre have been sold from some of the vineyards. Plums and apri- 
cots, pears, quinces, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and currants 
flourish and yield in profusion. Even the fig, in sheltered places, may 
be brought to maturity in the open air. Nor must that much-used but 
greatly abused fruit, the blackberry, and its congeners, the raspberry 
and dewberry, be passed without mention. Everywhere throughout 
the State the bushes are indigenous. In the woods and in the fields, on 
poor soils and on rich, covering the mountain tops and flourishing i)i 
the alluvial bottoms, the blackberry bush supplies a ricli, healthy and 
delicious fruit, and in quantities sufficient to supply ten times the pres- 
ent population. So numerous and so excellent are the berries that 
pickers are sent out from Cincinnati and from other towns north to 
gather and ship the fruit. The raspberry, huckleberry and the dew- 
berry grow wild and yield abundantly. The cranberry grows wild 
in the elevated swampy places of Johnson county, and but for want of 
facilities for transportation, could be made a source of great profit. 
These berries, covering in the aggregate an area of 10,000 acres, are 
equal in all respects to the best grown in the North. 

Honey. Considerable attention is being paid to the production of 
honey. It is claimed by eminent bee-raisers that Tennessee has the 
best climate and the greatest variety of food for bees of any State in 
the Union, it having all the forage of the Northern States, and all to 



28 Resources of Tennessee. 

be found in the Southern, while it has some that is not found in either. 
The white clover, golden rod and aster are not found in States further 
south. In the extreme South the honey is not so good, nor are the 
bees disposed to lay up stores of food, as they can be furnished with 
supplies outside almost throughout the year. The climate of Tennes- 
see being a medium one, with mild and short winters and agreeable 
summers, and with the delightful seasons of the fall and spring, makes 
the State specially adapted to bee-culture. The late Dr. Hamlin, one 
of the most extensive and eminent bee-raisers in the United States, 
says the bees and queens reared in this climate are large, thrifty, and 
not excelled by any he has met with from any portion of the world. He 
further says, that no State or section of country, with which he is ac- 
quainted, equals Tennessee in all the departments of bee-culture. We 
suifer less in the loss of bees in winter, and from those diseases to 
which they are subject in other localities. Some of the most destruc- 
tive diseases are unknown in Tennessee. 

LIVE STOCK. 

Tennessee, taking the ninth rank in the sisterhood of States in the 
number of her population, aggregating 1,258,520, according to the last 
census, takes also the ninth position in point of the value of her live 
stock, aggregating in value $55,084,075. With only 6,843,278 acres 
improved land, there is about one- fourth of the area of the entire State, 
making about five acres to each inhabitant, actually available and em- 
ployed. According to the latest and most reliable data, there are for 
each one hundred acres so employed, only 3.6 horses, 3.5 milch cows 
and 5.8 all other cattle, 12 sheep, and 26 swine. Considering the vast 
area unemployed and unreclaimed, embracing as it does much of the 
best lands of the State for the production of the cereals and cultivated 
grasses, together with our climate and admirably watered valleys, so 
well adapted to stock-growing, that notwithstanding the aggregate 
value of our live stock making a large item in the wealth of our State, 
the percentage appears very low when compared with the real capacity 
of our territory for the development of this great interest. Even un- 
der the unadvanced system of agriculture, Tennessee takes the seventh 
rank in the average production of Indian corn and wheat, and the fifth 
in that of grasses, demonstrating our great capacity to make meat for 
the markets of the world. We think it must appear to the most casual 
observer, upon a review of such facts, that a proper development of 
our live stock interest, especially if aided by the fostering hand of our 
law-makers, will do more to furnish a market for our farm products, 
and reclaim our worn-out lands, bringing into subjection our wild ter- 
ritories, and thus beautifying and enriching our State, than any other 
branch of agriculture pursued by the husbandmen of Tennessee. 

Horses. From an eai*ly day Tennessee horses have been sought by 
almost every State in the Union for breeding purposes. Nowhere in 
the United States can purer blood be found than in the counties of 
the Central Basin. 



Live Stock. 29 

For the production of fine wool no State has ever surpassed, if any 
has ever equaled Tennessee. The late Mark R. Cockrill wrested the 
premium for the finest fleece at the London Exhibition from the as- 
sembled wool-growers of the world. If proper protection were given 
to this branch of husbandry, Tennessee would soon be filled with the 
finest and largest flocks of sheep on the continent. 

Cattle. Almost every variety of the bovine species is to be found in 
the State ; and in the counties of Davidson, Sumner, Bedford, Ruther- 
ford, Giles, Maury, Tipton, Shelby, Knox, and others, there are fine 
herds of Short-horns, while others are gradually introducing them,, 
and the day cannot be far distant when Tennessee, with the natural ad- 
vantages of soil and climate, must take high rank as a breeding State, 
furnishing a large proportion of the animals for the propagation of 
their species, now demanded by the great west; also taking high rank 
among the States in the value of her products of beef and the dairy, 
thus adding millions to her coffers, and prosperity and happiness to 
her people. Those who are at all familiar with our agricultural exhi- 
bitions, and who are well informed as to the great degree of excellency 
produced by skill and care, attest the fact that the State boasts many 
specimens of great merit, annually brought into competition, thus pro- 
ducing a laudable rivalry, that is rapidly adding thousands to the 
wealth and prosperity of our State. Tennessee is destined in the fu- 
ture to become a famous dairy district. Its advantages are : 

1. Comparative cheapness of pasture lands, being about one-fourth 
the price of those of the same quality in Ohio and New York. 

2. The adaptability of these lands for the growth of the various 
grasses — among others the celebrated blue-grass of Kentucky. 

3. The length of the growing season, and consequently the increased 
flow of milk from green food. 

4. The mildness of the weather and the short time that cattle have 
to be housed and fed. 

5. Active demand at high prices for all dairy products, and the 
regularly increasing consumption of them. 

6. The great number of pure, sparkling springs. 

Hogs. Many persons from distant States, from old breeding dis- 
tricts, as well as our own citizens, who have attended our agricultural 
fairs of late, have e»xpressed great admiration for the number and qual- 
ity of the hogs exhibited ; indeed, such is the interest and laudable 
rivalry manifested to secure the best, that many importations are com- 
ing into the State from Europe at great expense. Many of the differ- 
ent breeds have been introduced with success ; among them the Berk- 
shire, Essex, Poland China, Neopolitan, Sussex, and others, each hav- 
ing their champions and especial admirers; but we believe the Berk- 
shires, in their adaptation to the climate and wants of our people, have 
the most advocates. Such is the perfection to which the hogs of the 
State are now bred, it is exceedingly questionable whether as fine speci- 
mens cannot now be found in Tennessee as are either in the United 
States or Europe. 



JO Resources of Tennessee. 

The State is at present producing twenty-six hogs to the 100 acres 
of land in actual cultivation, making the percentage about 145 hogs 
to each 100 inhabitants; whereas, we might easily produce one hog to 
every acre cultivated, in addition to other necessary live stock, making 
five times as many hogs as the State has papulation, increasing our 
surplus meat to at least 100,000,000 pounds; and this, too, with mani- 
fest benefit to our lands, and an addition of $2,000,000 net to our rev- 
enue. If we mistake not, in a very few years the State of Tennessee 
will become one of the great meat marts for the South. As such it 
certainly offers ver) great inducements, both to the emigrant from the 
<dd world, and the ice-bound, sterile land-owners of the Northern and 
Eastern States, who are desirous of seeking new fields for the develop- 
ment of skill and labor, in the pursuit of the pleasant and remunera- 
tive industry of stock husbandry. To all such we say, that no enter- 
prise promises a better reward for so small an outlay of capital as stock- 
growing in Tennessee. 

FACILITIES FOR TRANSPORTATIOI*!". 

Rivers. The Mississippi river has a shore line, by its meanders in. 
the State, 150 miles in length, and aifords steamboat facilities to the 
counties of Lake, Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton and Shelby. Of its trib- 
utaries in the State the Forked Deer, (with its confluent, the Obion,) 
]5ig Hatchie, Loosa Hatchie and Wolf, are navigable for small steam- 
ers from twenty-five to fifty miles each, and are floatable to much 
greater distances. The Tennessee river is the largest tributary of the 
Ohio, and the main stream has 660 miles of navigable water. From 
Knoxville to Chattanooga by river, is 200 miles; from Chattanooga to 
the Muscle Shoals, 200 miles, and from the foot of Muscle Shoals to 
the Ohio river, 260 miles. From Loudon to Chattanooga, a distance 
of l60 miles, the river almost dashes itself against the great coal and 
iron fields of the State. Water transportation is afforded to the coun- 
ties of Knox, Loudon, Roane, Rhea, Meigs, James, Hamilton and 
Marion, in East Tennessee; and to the counties of Hardin, Decatur, 
Wayne, Perry, Humphreys, Benton, Houston, Henry and Stewart 
of Middle and West Tennessee — nearly all of which are rich in 
iron deposits and hydraulic rock. The river from' Florence, Ala- 
bama, to the Ohio, is navigable for large steame^;s throughout the year. 
Of the tributaries of the Tennessee, the Holston, French Broad, Little 
Tennessee, Clinch, Hiwassee, and their confluents, furnish floatable 
Avaters for a majority of the counties in East Tennessee, and a large 
amount of produce is annunlly brought down in flatboats and barges, 
while Duck river and Big Sandy, also tributaries entering below the 
Muscle Shoals, are used for the same purpose. 

The Cumberland river is a most remarkable stream. Though but 
650 miles in length, 595 may be made navigable, and of the navigable 
part 304 miles are in the State of Tennessee, supplying steamboat fa- 
cilities for eight months in the year to the counties of Clay, Jackson, 
■ Smith, Trousdale, Wilson, Sumner, Davidson, Cheatham, Dickson, 



Live Stock. 31 

Montgomery, Houston and Stewart. The last four counties are rich 
in iron ofe, while the upper part of the stream pierces the coal-beds of 
Kentucky, which are capable of furnishing an inexhaustible supply of 
fuel. From State Line, where the river enters the State, to Nashville, 
is 229 miles; from Nashville to the mouth of the river, 192 miles. 
From 350,000 to 500,000 bushels of coal are annually brought down 
the river from Kentucky to Nashville and points below. Nine fur- 
naces are in operation on the river between Nashville and its mouth. 
Altogether there are over 1,200 miles of navigable waters in the State, 
•and half as much more floatable. 

Bmlroads. The Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad traverses 
the heart of tlie richest section of the State, furnishing transportation 
to the counties of Davidson, Rutherford, Bedford, Coffee, Moore, 
Franklin^ Marion and Hamilton. It also throws out arms to Shelby- 
ville and Jasper, taps the coal region at Cowan, intersects the valley 
of the Tennessee river, penetrates a considerable portion of the cotton 
and grain-growing region of Alabama, and then on through a rich coal 
region to Chattanooga. The main line is 151 miles long; from War- 
trace to Shelbyville is a branch road eight miles in length, and from 
Bridgeport, Alabama, another branch fourteen miles, which opens a 
fine coal region, making, with siding, in all 184 miles. 

The Nashville and Northwestern road passes through the counties 
of Davidson, Cheatham, Dickson, Humphreys, Benton, Carroll, Weak- 
ley and Obion, and terminates at Hickman, Kentucky, on the Missis- 
sippi river, where it connects with the Iron Mountain road on to St. 
Louis. It crosses the Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern Rail- 
road at McKenzie, in Carroll county. Its length from Nashville to 
Hickman is 172.5, sidings and other tracks eight miles. The last two 
named railroads have been consolidated, and are now called the Nash- 
ville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. 

The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad runs from Bris- 
tol, on the Virginia line, to Dalton, Georgia, with a branch from Cleve- 
land to Chattanooga. lii traverses the counties of Sullivan, Washing- 
ton, Greene, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, London, Monroe, McMinn 
and Bradley, and by the Chattanooga branch the counties of James 
and Hamilton, A branch railroad, for a time under the same man- 
agement, extends from Rogersville Junction to Rogersville, sixteen 
miles in length. The main road from Bristol to Dalton, Georgia, is 
240 miles in length. The branch from Cleveland to Chattanooga is 
thirty miles long. There are sidings and other tracks twenty-two 
miles; gauge five feet. 

Tlie Cincinnati, Cumberland Gap and Charleston Railroad, operated 
by the same company as the last mentioned, extends from Morristown, 
in Hamblen county, to Wolf Creek, and passes through the counties 
of Hamblen and Cocke. It is thirty-nine miles long. 

The same company has control of the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad, 
running from Knoxville to Careyville, a distance of forty miles, and 
passes through the counties of Knox, Anderson, and a portion of 



32 Resources of Tennessee. 

Campbell, tapping extensive coal deposits at Coal creek, and cutting 
the great dyestone iron vein. Other coal mines are worked at Caryville 
or Wheeler Station. The amount of coal shipped over this road does 
not fall short of 75,000 tons annually. 

The Knoxville and Charleston Railroad runs from Knoxville to 
Maryville, in Blount county, and is sixteen miles long. This road was 
intended to connect with the Blue Ridge Railroad of South Carolina, 
and form, with the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad, a through line from 
the Ohio river to the seabord at Charleston, South Carolina. 

The road of the Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company runs from 
Cowan, a village in Franklin county, on the Nashville and Chattanoo- 
ga Raih'oad, to Tracy City, the center of the Sewanee coal mining in- 
terest, and is twenty-one miles long. Over it are shipped annually 
over 3,000,000 bushels of coal. It furnishes railroad facilities to 
Grundy county and a small fraction of Marion. 

The McMinnville and Manchester Railroad runs from Tullahoraa, 
in Coffee county, to McMinnville, in Warren county. Its length is 
thirty-four miles. It was projected to run to Sparta, in White county,, 
and ultimately to extend to the Kentucky line and connect with the 
Cincinnati Southern. A considerable portion of the route from Mc- 
Minnville to Sparta has been graded. 

The Winchester and Alabama Railroad runs from Decherd, in Frank- 
lin county, on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, to Fayetteville, 
the county seat of Lincoln. It was projected to run to Huntsville, 
Alabama, a distance of forty-seven miles. Thirty-nine miles are in 
operation. 

The St. Louis and Southeastern Railway traverses one of the 
most fertile regions of the Mississippi Valley, and also passes di- 
rectly through the immense coal fields of West ICentucky and Illi- 
nois. The quantity of coal shipped to Nashville by this road is esti- 
mated to be 449,000 bushels; to points south of Nashville, 100,000 
bu'jhels. All the towns on the line of the road from Henderson, Ken- 
tucky, to Nashville are supplied with coal fiwm the mines in Kentucky. 
The road is admirably located, and the facilities offered for the erection 
of manufacturing establishments on its route are so great that they 
cannot long remain unnoticed by capitalists. Cheap living, cheap coal, 
fertile lands, unoccupied water-power, contiguity to the cotton fields 
and to the iron regions, are some of the advantages of the country 
through which this road passes. Good management and liberal rates 
on the part of its officers must eventually make it one of the most de- 
sirable roads leading to Nashville. The total length of this road is 
358 miles, forty-eight of which are branches. The distance to St. 
Louis is 310 miles. Length of road in Tennessee, forty-eight miles. 
Distance from Nashville to Springfield, the county seat of Robertson 
county, 28 miles. 

The Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern Railway was the 
first railroad which united the cotton States east of the Mississippi 
river with the great grain-growing States of the North-west. The wis- 



Railroads. 33 

dom of its projectors is manifested in the fact, that since its main line 
from Louisville to Nashville was finished, a distance of 185 miles, it 
has, within a period of fifteen years, thrown out branches and extended 
its main line, until the aggregate number of miles has reached 737.3, 
380 of which are in the State of Tennessee. The counties in the State 
furnished with transportation by this road are, on its main stem Sum- 
ner and Davidson; on the Memphis branch, (which diverges from the 
main stem at Bowling Green, Kentucky,) Montgomery, Houston, Ben- 
ton, Henry, Carroll, Gibson, Crockett, Haywood, Tipton, Fayette and 
Shelby ; on the Decatur branch, (extending from Nashville to Decatur, 
Alabama,) Davidson, Williamson, Maury and Giles. The Memphis 
branch crosses the St. Louis and Southeastern Railroad at Guthrie, 
nearly on the line separating Tennessee and Kentucky, 48 miles north- 
east of Nashville ; the Nashville and Northwestern railroad at McKen- 
zie, in Carroll county; the Mississippi Central at Milan, in Gibson 
county, and the Mobile and Ohio at Humboldt, also in Gibson county. 

The Tennesse and Pacific Railroad runs from Nashville, Tennessee, 
to Lebanon, the county seat of Wilson. Length 31 miles. It was 
projected to run to Knoxville, Tennessee, but financial embarrassments 
checked its progress. 

The Mobile and Ohio Railroad extends from Mobile, Alabama, to 
Columbus, Kentucky, where it makes connection with the Iron Moun- 
tain Railroad of Missouri. It enters West Tennessee from the south,^ 
crossing the State line in McNairy county, and ranges thence in a direc- 
tion a little west of north through the counties of McNairy, Madison, 
Gibson and Obion, passing out of West Tennessee at Jordan's Station, 
on the Kentucky line. This road crosses the Mississippi Central Rail- 
road at Jackson, in Madison county, the Memphis and Louisville at 
Humboldt, in Gibson county, the Memphis and Paducah at Troy Sta- 
tion, in Obion, and the Nashville and Northwestern at Union City, also 
in Obion county. 

The Mississippe Central Railroad extends from New Orleans, Louisi- 
ana, to a point on the Ohio river opposite the city of Cairo, Illinois, 
there connecting with the Illinois Central Railroad. It enters West 
Tennessee from the south-west, in Fayette county, ranges thence north- 
east through the counties of Fayette, Hardeman, Madison, Gibson and 
Weakley, thence into Kentucky, crossing in its route the Memphis and 
Charleston road at Grand Junction, in Hardeman county, the Mobile 
and Ohio at Jackson, in Madison county, the Memphis and Louisville 
at Milan, in Gibson county, and the Nashville and Northwestern at 
Margin's, in Weakley county. 

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad extends, as its name indicates, 
in the direction toward Charleston, South Carolina. In its route it 
ranges east, passing through the counties of Shelby, Fayette, Harde- 
man and McNairy, thence into Mississippi at a point on the southern 
line of McNairy, about twelve miles east of where it touches the 
western line. In its route through West Tennessee, it crosses the Mis- 
sissippi Central Railroad at Grand Junction, in Hardeman county. 
3 



34 Resources of Tennessee. 

The Memphis and Paducah Railroad is chartered to extend from 
Memphis, Tennessee, to Paducah, Kentucky, but at present is not 
completed. From Memphis it runs to Covington, in Tipton county, 
passing through portions of the counties of Shelby and Tipton. From 
Paducah it extends to a point a little north of Newbern, in Dyer 
county, leaving a gap which is yet to be completed. Work upon this 
road is progressing very satisfactorily, and when completed from Mem- 
phis, it will range north-east, passing through the counties of Shelby, 
Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer and Obion, and crossing, in its route through 
West Tennessee, the Mobile and Ohio road at Troy Station, in Obion 
county, and the Nashville and Northwestern at Paudcah Junction, also 
in Obion county. 

The Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad, extending from Memphis, 
Tennessee, to Grenada, Mississippi, leaving Memphis, ranges south, and 
passes through a portion of Shelby county, which is the only county 
in West Tennessee that is touched by this road. 

The roads named below are projected or in course of construction: 

Memphis and Knoville. A portion of this railroad, (narrow guage) 
in West Tennessee, is now under contract and the work of grading is 
progressing. The route passes from Memphis on through Somerville, 
Bolivar, crossing the Mobile and Ohio Railroad at Henderson's Sta- 
tion, thence through Henderson county, striking the Tennessee river 
at Saltillo, in Hardin county. From this point to Clifton, in Wayne 
county, a distance of seventeen miles, connection will be made through 
the means of steamboats. From Clifton the road will run on through 
Waynesboro, Lawrenceburg and Pulaski, effecting a junction with the 
Winchester and Alabama road at Fayetteville, in Lincoln county. An 
arm of this road will pass from near Wayne Furnace, through Lewis 
county, to Columbia. Perhaps no road in the State will pass through 
a more interesting section of country. From Mempliis to Saltillo it 
will pass through the heart of the cotton region of West Tennessee, 
and from Clifton to Lawrenceburg it will run over deposits of limonite 
iron ore. Hydraulic rocks and marbles of valuable varieties will form 
the foundation of the road-bed for many miles. The route east of the 
Tennessee river offers favorable locations for immigrants. Land is 
cheap, the country high and healthy, and the soils of moderate fertil- 
ity, from the Tennessee river to a point twelve miles west of Pulaski, 
where the road will descend into the great limestone basin of Middle 
Tennessee, the fairest and the most beautiful portion of the State. In 
this basin it continues its course to Fayetteville. By continuing on to 
the Cumberland Table-land, it will be the means of connecting the 
coal with the iron ore of the Western Belt, and will also give to West 
Tennessee coal facilities hitherto not enjoyed, and open the grain-grow- 
ing and stock-raising regions of the State with the cotton-producing 
section. 

The Brownsville and Ohio. This road (narrow guage) will run from 
Cairo, Illinois, to Brownsville, in Haywood county, through Bolivar 
to Middleton, and there will connect with the Middleton and Ripley 



Railroads. 



35 



road. Twenty-five or thirty miles are graded from Brownsville north. 

The Cairo and Tennessee. This road is to be built from Cairo^ Illi- 
nois, to Paris, the county seat of Henry county, and from thence an 
arm extended to Johnsonville to connect with the Duck River Valley 
Eailroad — the main line running through Clifton, in Wayne county, 
to Florence, Alabama. Considerable amount of stock has been taken, 
and the road is now being surveyed preparatory to letting out con- 
tracts. 

Tennessee Central. This road was first chartered in 1847, and re- 
chartered during the session of 1869-70. It is designed to run from 
Huntingdon, the county seat of Carroll county, on through Gibson, 
Crockett, a corner of Haywood, and through Lauderdale to the Mis- 
sissippi river, at Fulton. It penetrates the heart of one the finest 
farming regions of the State, and its course from east to west gives it 
great advantages over roads running north and south. 

This road has twenty-five miles of road-bed graded. It will form 
a link- in the great inter-oceanic route from Norfolk, Virginia, or 
Charleston, South Carolina, to the coast of California. The prospect 
for its speedy completion is good. The cost from Huntingdon to the 
Mississippi river, it is estimated, will be |366,000. 

Memphis and Raleigh (Narrow Gauge). This road runs out from 
Raleigh to a point on the Memphis and Louisville road, a distance of 
some seven miles. We have no official information in regard to it. 

Cincinnati Southern. One of the most important projected roads is 
the Cincinnati Southern, from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, passing over 
the Cumberland Table-land to Emeryville, and thence along its east- 
ern edge, and opening one of the finest coal and iron regions in Amer- 
ica. The Kentucky end of this road is now under contract, and pro- 
posals have been issued for work on sections in Tennessee. The esti- 
mated cost of the road is $15,000,000, of which Cincinnati subscribed 
10,000,000. 

Cumberland and Ohio. The Cumberland and Ohio Railroad is in 
process of construction, and will pass from some point on the Ohio 
river, through Eminence and Scottsville, Kentucky, Gallatin, Tennes- 
see, on to Nashville. Sumner county has taken stock to the amount 
of $300,000. There is little doubt of its early completion. This road 
will give a new competing line to the Ohio river. 

The Owensboro and Russelville Railroad is also projected to pass 
through Sumner county. 

The Duck River Valley Railroad, (narrow gauge) running from 
Johnsonville on the Tennessee river, through Centerville, the county 
seat of Hickman, to Columbia and on to Lewisburg, Marshall county, 
to Fayetteville, the county seat of Lincoln, will probably be built with- 
in the next two or three years, and will open a rich agricultural region. 
The amount of subscription is $242,500. 

Several more roads were projected, but the financial crisis of 1873 
will render their construction, for a time, a matter of doubt. Among 
these is the Ducktown Narrow Gauge, running from Cleveland to 



36 Resources of Tennessee. 

Ducktown. Two miles of this road are now in operation. Also one- 
from Nashville to Clarksville, (narrow gauge) is being surveyed, with 
some prospect of being built. A narrow gauge, five miles long, from 
Rockwood Landing to Rockwood Furnace, in Roane county, has been 
in operation for some years. It does all the carrying business from 
the river to Rockwood. A narrow gauge road is also partly graded 
from Greeneville, the county seat of Greene county, to the foot of the 
Unaka Mountains, where there are rich deposits of iron ore, and where 
two blast furnaces have been in operation for a number of years. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

There are public schools in operation in every county of the State. 
The permanent school fund amounts to $2,512,500, upon which in- 
terest is paid semi-annually. The tax by the State for the support of 
schools is ten cents on the |100, and the poll tax of one dollar. There 
are annually added to the permanent school fund the proceeds of all 
escheated property, of all property accruing to the State by forfeiture, 
of all lands sold and bought in for taxes, of the personal effects of in- 
testates having no kindred entitled thereto by the laws of distribu- 
tion, and donations made to the State for the support of public schools, 
unless otherwise directed by the donors. Only the interest derived 
from the permanent school fund can be used for the support and main- 
tenance of public schools. 

The law declares that when the money derived from the school fund 
and taxes is not sufficient to keep up a public school for five months 
in the year, in the school distrcts in the county, the County Court shall 
levy an additional tax sufficient for this purpose, or shall submit the 
proposition to a vote of the people, and may levy a tax to prolong 
schools beyond the five months. This tax must be levied on property, 
polls and privileges liable to taxation, but shall not exceed the entire 
State tax. The tax so levied shall be collected as other county taxes, 
and distributed by the County Trustee to each school district, in pro- 
portion to the scholastic population. The State Treasurer and County 
Trustee are required to keep the school moneys separate and apart from 
State and county funds. The Comptroller is required to apportion all 
school moneys in the treasury, on the first Mondays in October and 
April of every year, among the several counties according to their 
scholastic population as reported to him by the State Superintendent. 

Civil districts are invested with power to levy an additional tax not 
to exceed three mills on the dollar. 

The scholastic population embraces all persons between the ages of 
six and eighteen. Separate schools for white and black is a constitu- 
tional provision. 

Orthography, reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, 
elementary geology of Tennessee, and history of the United States 
shall be taught in every school. Vocal music may be taught. Other 
branches shall not be introduced except as provided for by local taxa- 
tion, or shall be allowed by special regulation upon the payment of 



East Tennessee. 37 

such rates of tuition as may be prescribed. The fund so derived to go 
into the fund for the support of the respective schools in which it may 
'be collected. 

The State is abundantly supplied with high educational institutions. 



EAST TENNESSEE. 



East Tennessee has been well named the Switzerland of America. 
Its towering mountains locking up deep, rich and verdant valleys and 
coves, its succession of ridges and valleys, its magnificent forests, its 
roaring streams, the general fertility of the soil, the glory of the cli- 
mate, the salubrity of the atmosphere, the sublimity, beauty and pic- 
turesqueness of the scenery, the freshness and voluptuous abundance of 
the country, all conspire to make it one of the most desirable spots in 
America. This division of the State embraces about 13,700 square 
miles, and has a population of 329,112, of which 36,671 are colored, 
and 26 Indians. The total value of its taxable property for 1873, was 
$63,550,129; number of polls, 45,701; number of voters, 65,085. It 
has in operation about 330 miles of railway, with about 130 more in 
course of construction. It has 150 miles of navigable rivers, and its 
floatable streams in the aggregate amount to several hundred miles. 
This division of Tennessee consists of a great wide trough, bounded 
l)y parallel mountain sides, that on the east being the great Unaka 
Mountains, that on the west making up the eastern escarpment of the 
mountainous coal field of Tennessee. This included trough or valley 
trends obliquely north-east and south-west, which is the general direc- 
tion of the great Appalachian chain, and of the Atlantic coast. Mea- 
sured on the northern boundary of the State, and obliquely to its 
course, this trough is 100 miles wide, and in the southern fifty miles, 
and is 180 miles long. One of the remarkable peculiarities of this 
valley is that its surface is longitudinally fluted by parallel minor val- 
leys and ridges. In this it difiers from all other parts of the State. 
This feature gives a certain direction to its rivers, and more especially 
to its smaller streams. This trough or great valley is, in the main, the 
agricultural region of East Tennessee. The principal stream is the 
Tennessee, the tributaries of which, on the east, are the Watauga, the 
French Broad, the Little Tennessee and the Hiwassee; on the west 
the Clinch and the Sequatchie. 

Climate. East Tennessee has a climate more equable and pleasant 
than that of any other part of North America east of the Rocky 
Mountains. It lies between parallels 35° and 36°4' north, and its mean 
altitude is 1,000 feet above the sea level. The prevailing winds are 
from the south-west and west, and they bring a constant and bountiful 
supply of rain from the Gulf of Mexico. 

Knoxville is the geographical center of East Tennessee, and it occu- 



38 Resources of Tennessee. 

pies a mean elevation too, so that it may be taken as the climatic center 
also. 

The summer mean at Knoxville, 73° 6', is about that of Philadel- 
jjliia, Pennsylvania, as well as that of several points in central Vir- 
ghiia, of Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, southern Indiana and central 
Illinois. It is that of the central part of Spain, and the northern part 
of Italy. The summer of the East Tennessee Valley is, therefore,, 
considering its valley-like character and its low latitude, a compara- 
tively cool one. This is mostly due to the considerable elevation of 
the region above the sea. 

According to very careful observations made at the East Tennessee 

University, under the direction of the United States signal service, at 

Knoxville, 

The mean temperature for the year is 57° 

The mean heat for the summer is 74° 

The mean cold for the winter is 40° 

Average maximum temperature 91° 

Average minimum , 2° 

The result is a mild and equable climate, that combines delightfully 
the temperate and tropical, without the extremes of either. 

The mountains on either side protect the valley from the blighting 
and chilling northern and north-western winds that so scourge the 
plains of the north-west, while they act as a natural conduit for the 
milder and gentler winds that come from the Gulf of Mexico. But 
even these are tempered into pleasant breezes, by the spurs or cross 
sections of mountains which break out from the main ranges. Thus 
it comes, that while it is a very rare occurrence to see the ane- 
mometer standing still, destructive storms are never experienced. 
A happy result of these influences is a degree of exemption from all 
malarial and atmospheric diseases, unsurpassed in any country. The 
undulating surface of the land, the great numbers and rapid flow of 
the rivers, the entire absence of all low and marshy lands, and the 
constant flow of gentle breezes, keep the atmosphere pure and exhiler- 
ating to a delightful degree. 

In addition to the healthful climate, the mountain regions abound 
with all manner of mineral springs, many of them furnishing waters 
that have been thoroughly tested and long noted for their healing prop- 
erties, and have of late years become popular resorts for health and 
pleasure-seekers from all parts of the South. 

Agriculture. There is a widely marked and striking difierence in 
the three divisions of the State in the economical management of the 
farmers. The most distinguishing characteristic of the average farmer 
in East Tennessee is the effort which he makes to supply what may be 
required for his own consumption. He is indeed a great provider of 
the necessaries of life. He is ambitious to live within himself. It is 
not uncommon on a small farm to see a patch of cotton, which the 
women of the household work up into cloth ; a spot given to tobacco 
for home consumption; a field of sorghum from which syrup is made 
for domestic use; a few acres of wheat are raised for flour; corn andl 



East Tennessee. 39 

oats or hay to feed the stock, which usually consist of a few sheep to 
supply wool for winter clothes, cows from which a considerable revenue 
is derived by the manufacture of butter, and a. brood-mare or two from 
which the farmer rears his mules and horses for farm use. Besides 
these, an abundance of the standard vegetables, such as cabbage, beans, 
peas, potatoes and onions, is raised, as well as of ducks, chickens, 
geese, guinea-fowls, peafowls, &c. A few bee -hives, and an apple and 
peach orchard, are the necessary adjuncts to nine-tenths of the farms 
in East Tennessee. The most striking fact in the farming operations 
in that division, is that no money-crop, so-called, is raised. Tobacco, 
cotton, corn and hay, are all grown in small quantities, not so much for 
sale as for use. The amount of money realized by the average farmer 
of East Tennessee is painfully small, and yet the people in no portion 
of the State live so well, or have their tables so bountifully furnished. 
Many a farmer who lives like a lord at his table, does not realize $200 
in money from his entire farm, and this sum comes mainly from the 
sale of feathers, chickens, eggs, dried fruit, and occasionally a few cat- 
tle or mules. Indeed, with their strict habits of economy, the farmers 
of East Tennessee have but little use for money. The wool and cotton, 
by the patient industry of the female members of the family, are 
wrought into cloth. A few hides from the beeves are tanned and made 
into shoes. Salt, coffee and sugar comprise almost the sum total of 
purchases, while a few dollars are required to meet the demands of the 
tax-gatherer. The character of the produce raised for sale in this di- 
vision has established a barter trade, which is unequalled in extent else- 
where in the State. Almost every neighborhood has its country store, 
where spun-cotton, calico, salt, sugar and coffee are exchanged for 
feathers, eggs, chickens, dried fruit, etc. These articles, after being 
thus collected in considerable quantities, are shipped to Knoxville 
and other points. The use of improved machinery, except in 
the valley lands, is impossible on farms in East Tennessee. The con- 
sequence is that the implements are very inexpensive, and are frequent- 
ly made at the neighborhood blacksmith shops. The valley farms are 
usually supplied with reapers, mowers and horse-rakes, and resemble, 
in every particular, the best farms in Middle Tennessee. The growing 
of corn and wheat, for a long period, in East Tennessee, without proper 
rotation, resting or clovering, has greatly impaired the fertility of the 
soil. 

Labor is abundant in the neighborhood of towns, and commands a 
less price than in either Middle or West Tennessee. It is probably 
also more manageable and reliable. Good farm hands can be hired 
about Knoxville throughout the summer months for $10 and $12 per 
month. After the corn crop is "laid by," and the wheat harvested 
and threshed, there is but little employment on the farms. August and 
September, the busiest months in the tobacco-growing counties, are 
those of most leisure in East Tennessee. A few farmers, taking ad- 
vantage of this surplusage of labor in summer, are beginning to grow 
tobacco for sale. 



40 Resources of Tennessee. 

Roads. It is a serious drawback to the farming interests of East 
Tennessee that there are so few good roads. Uusually they are exe- 
crable, and especially is this the case where the roads run transversely 
across the country. No successful efforts have been made to build 
turnpikes, though rocks are abundant and convenient for that purpose. 
With the exception of a few miles of macadamized roads leading out 
from Knoxville, we believe there is not another in East Tennessee. 

Stock-raising in portions of East Tennessee is quite profitable, espe- 
cially on the valley farms, which produce red clover, timothy, blue- 
grass, herds-grass and orchard-grass luxuriantly. There is quite a 
number of herds of thoroughbred Jerseys, Devons and Short-horns. 
Sheep-husbandry is yet in its infancy. The thousands of worthless 
dogs make this most delightful branch of stock-raising impossible. 
One of the prominent features of stock-growing as practiced in East 
Tennessee, is the use made of the luxuriant growth of wild grasses 
and succulent vines and shrubbery that clothe the mountain sides and 
tops. Vast areas of unoccupied lands here furnish almost unlimited 
and inexhaustible range for cattle and sheep, and thousands are 
driven out every spring to pass the summer in these free pastures, from 
which they return in the fall as fat as grass can make them. 

Fruits. Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, strawberries, and many other 
kinds grow well in East Tennessee. 

"No country in the world," said the late Commodore Maury, "that lies between 
36° 36^ and 35° can surpass Tennessee, on account of the rare advantages of climate, in 
altitude, for abundance of yield, beauty of form or richness of flavor of fruits. The hills, 
knobs and mountains afford every variety of sub-climate and site that the most fastidi- 
ous fruit-grower could desire." 

"What he says of Tennessee is especially applicable to East Ten- 
nessee. 

The Mineral Resources of this division are extensive and varied. 
Iron, coal, copper, lead, zinc, gold and marble exist in workable 
quantities. For a description of these the reader is referred to the 
Minerals of Tennessee, in another portion of this pamphlet. 

The Educational Facilities of East Tennessee are above ordinary. In 
some of the counties, as Washington and Knox, the system of free 
schools is in successful operation, and gives general satisfaction. In 
some of the more thinly populated counties schools are poorly kept 
up. Several colleges and seminaries are in healthy operation. The 
Tennessee Agricultural College is located at Knoxville. 

Churches. All the leading Protestant denominations have churches 
scattered throughout the different counties, in which religious services 
and Sunday-schools are regularly held. The Methodists, Baptists and 
Presbyterians are most numerous. There are a few Quakers, and at 
Knoxville and Chattanooga, Roman Catholic churches. All of these 
denominations have one or more male and female schools or colleges, 
located in different counties, and are actively alive to the work of 
spreading the gospel, at the same time that they work most earnestly 
for the increase of their own sect. 



East Tennessee a\ 

ANDERSON COUNTY. 

Organized 1801. Chmty-seat, CZm^ow— 194,921 acres ; * value, $1,088,889 : number of 
farms, 1,034, partly on Cumberland Table-land and partly in East Tennessee Valley • 
surface very broken and mountainous ; watershed between Cumberland and Tennessee 
rivers ; Clinch river traverses center of county, and has several tributaries therein • val- 
leys productive of main crops, corn, wheat and grasses; corn is the staple. Highlands 
of thin soil mostly covered with dense forests of pine, oak, chestnut, poplar, etc. ; coal 
and iron ore exist abundantly; coal mined extensively at Coal creek; good valley 
lands high; most of mineral land leased; plateau land at one dollar per acre- numer^ 
ous mineral and salt springs; very healthy. Population 8,704, of which 928 'are col- 
ored. 



BLEDSOE COUNTY. 

Organized Nov. 30, 1807. County-seat, Pikemlle— 223,3^8 acres, value $648,033- 481 
farms; lies mainly m Sequatchie Valley, almost without outlet ; valley land productive 
when properly cultivated, otherwise only moderately so ; mostly in corn to feed stock 
whichis driven to market ; abundance of timber, coal and iron, but no transportation 
facilities ; valley land from twenty to forty dollars, mountain land from one to two dol- 
lars. Population, 4,870, of which 709 are colored. 



BLOUNT COUNTY. 

Organized July 11, 1795. County-seat, MaryvUle—316,5Ql acres; value, $1 985 134- 
1,170 farms ; bounded on two si-des by Holston and Tennessee rivers, and traversed by 
Little river and numerous creeks ; several ranges of hills of inferior land, balance allu- 
vial or limestone land, with substratum of red clay; fertile coves and valleys; Unakas 
rise 6,000 feet along the south-east boundary; iron ore crops out in many places; several 
kinds of marble; copper and other ores found; numerous mineral springs; improved 
farms three to twenty-five dollars per acre ; some of best land badly worn'; plenty of 
land on the market for sale or lease; timber abundant and convenient- good schools 
Population, 14,237, of which 1,456 are colored. 



BRADLEY COUNTY. 



Organized 1836. County-seat, Clevekmd^l85,137 acres; value, $1,543,358- 1133 
farms; surf ace— long, straight valleys and hills ; vallev soil red and mulatto ; fertile but 
badly worn; farms 300 to 800 acres each ; plenty of water and fine water-power; mar- 
kets accessible by railroad; stock-raising convenient; no malaria; excellent schools 
and church facilities ; limestone the prevailing rock ; abundance of pine, oak hick- 
ory and other timber. Population, 11,625, of which 1,700 are colored. 



CAMPBELL COUNTY. 

Organized 1806. County-seat, Jachhoro— 262,350 acres; value, $854,175; 607 farms- 
traversed by the precipitous and lofty Walden's Ridge, also by Powell's Valley, one of 
the most fertile in East Tennessee, producing well timothy, blue-grass, com, and kin- 
dred crops ; the mountains afford fine summer range for stock and produce superior 
fruit ; improved farming land fifteen to twenty dollars per acre ; water and water-powers 
well distributed ; extensive deposits of coal and iron ; coal mines opened at Careyville. 
The physical character of the county, upon the whole, is mountainous. There is a num- 
ber of hills and ridges making through it in various places, and between them lie fer- 
tile valleys. Many of these hills and ridges are productive. The soil is rich some- 
times mixed with gravel, and well adapted to fruit, wheat and Irish potatoes. The soil 
of the valley is a dark mulatto in color, with a substantial clay subsoil. It is exceed- 
ingly tenacious, and will stand oppressive cultivation. Population, 7,445 of which 428 
are colored. ' 

'^Only the number of acres assessed for taxation in each county is given. 



42 Resources of Tennessee. 

CAETEE COUNTY. 

Oeganized 1796. County-seat, Elizabethton — 269,736 acres; value, $894,657; 527 
farms; almost entirely in a mountainous region ; the coves in the spurs of the moun- 
tains and the bottom lands along the Watauga and Doe rivers, only used for agricul- 
tural purposes. These bottom lands are very fertile and held as high as $100 per acre. 
A very superior car- wheel iron made in this county; mineral springs abundant; farms 
50 to 100 acres, generally worked by owners ; corn and wheat the staples ; plenty of 
white pine, oak, poplar, hickory, walnut, maple and other timber; water and water- 
powers ; county noted for magnificent scenery. Population, 7,909, of which 573 are 
colored. 



CLAIBOENE COUNTY. 

Oegajstezed 1801. County-seat, Taztvell — 195,867 acres; value, $768,419 ; 1,100 farms; 
surface — broad stretches of level land, abrupt highlands, and rolling land ; Powell's 
river traverses the county from north-east to south-west, used during freshets to run out 
flat boats and rafts. North of Powell's river several distinct belts of land : 1. Part of 
Cumberland Table-land, soil poor. 2. Poor Valley, low, marshy and thin, mostly unfit 
for cultivation. 3. Poor Valley Eidge, also poor soil. 4. Walden's Eidge, then 
Powell's Valley, then a high table-land. Powell's Valley within this county is 
400 feet above the river, but is very productive; celebrated Cumberland Gap in 
this county; abundance of timber, coal and iron, and a large vein of oxide of man- 
ganese. Lone Mountain appears in the southern part of the county. Its north-western 
face is covered with green fields and dense woods, in which the clambering vines, re- 
ceiving sustenance from rich limestone soil, make the surface dark with their rank lux- 
uriance. On the south-eastern side of the same mountain huge layers of sa7idstone 
sheet the surface in tilted masses, and the vegetation is sparse and the trees small and 
scraggy. With the exception of Powell's Valley and Sycamore bottoms, the whole 
country is high, rough and broken, for the most part fertile, but almost everywhere the 
tilted limestone rocks rise to the surface, forming glades and rendering the soil difiicuit 
of cultivation. Farms average only about thirty-five acres tillable land. Population in 
1870, 9,321, of which 758 are colored. 



COOKE COUNTY. 

, Organized 1797. County-seat, Newport — 257,273 acres ; value, $1,185,918 ; 1,509 farms ; 
surface generally broken and mountainous. Piincipal valleys — French Broad on that 
river, about forty miles long in county and one mile wide, and Pigeon on Pigeon river, 
twenty miles long and one wide ; both fertile. In corn from time immemorial ; lands 
in these bottoms seldom for sale, other land ranges from five to fifty dollars per acre in 
price, and about the same proportion of productiveness ; abundance and great varieties 
of fine timber and useful minerals ; numerous water-powers. Population, 12,458, of 
which 1,274 are colored. 



GEAINGEE COUNTY. 

Organized 1796. County-seat, Eutledge — 178,935 acres; value, $1,284,128; 1,169 
farms ; surface marked by three parallel flutes or ridges — a miniature East Tennessee. 
The larger portion of the soil quite productive, even hill-sides produce corn, the staple 
of the county, well ; county best adapted to grazing and breeding ; well watered with 
springs and streams ; abundance of timber. Bean's Station Valley is one of the most 
beautiful spots in the world. It is visited by large numbers of of persons in summer on 
account of its mineral waters. Price of land five to thirty dollars per acre. Popula- 
tion, 12,421, of which 1,030 are colored. 



GEEENE COUNTY. 

Organized 1783. County-seat, Oi-eeneville — 324,143 acres; value, $2,609,144; 1,873 
farms ; surface distinguished by three belts ; beginning at north-west side, the Lick 



East Tennessee. 4.3! 

creek country, six to eight miles wide, calcareous shale, adapted to wheat but has craw- 
fishy spots; next a belt of hills along the Nolichucky river, very strong, productive 
soil ; last the ridges of the Unaka Mountains. The Nolichucky, with its tributaries, 
supplies it well with water, and upon these streams are many fine alluvial bottoms. 
The water-pov/^er afforded by the Nolichucky is very valuable, the descent of the stream 
is very rapid, the banks solid and the bed rocky, abundance of limestone for the con- 
struction of dams being convenient and accessible. Railroad and river facilities for 
transportation ; plenty of water and timber ; bottom lands twenty-five to fifty dollars 
per acre ; large deposits of iron ore and some zinc in Unaka Mountains. Population,. 
21,668, of which 2,064 are colored. 



HAMBLEN COUNTY. 

Oegastized 1870. County-seat, Morristmn — 101,687 acres; value, $1,165,988; lies- 
partly in New Market Valley, which produces largely all the crops of this section, in- 
cluding blue-grass, timothy and clover; transportation facilities by rail and river; 
plenty of timber and water ; limestone region ; very little waste land in the county ; 
plenty of land on the market at $5 to $100 per acre. One of the very best counties in 
East Tennessee. Population about 8,000 



HAMILTON COUNTY. 

Okganized 1819. County-seat, Chattanooga 191,881 acres; value, $2,397,101; 850- 
farms ; surface — almost parallel ridges and valleys, with north-east trend. Lookout 
Mountain terminates abruptly in Point Lookout near Chattanooga, where the Tennes- 
see river, after traversing the county south-west fourteen miles, suddenly turns north- 
west. The Valley of the Tennessee, famous for its fertility, extends the whole length of 
the county, and with Lookout and Back Valleys affords the county an ample propor- 
tion of tillable land for corn, wheat, cotton, grasses, tobacco and other crops made 
here; plenty of timber for al] purposes, and of great variety and excellence; limestone 
the prevailing rock in the valleys, sandstone on Cumberland Table-land and on Look- 
out Mountain ; coal found in vast quantities and is extensively mined ; iron ore 
exists in large deposits ; valley lands eight to fifty dollars per acre, and plenty for sale. 
Chattanooga is one of the most important cities in the State, has river and very exten- 
sive railroad facilities. It has several large manufactories and is developing as rapidly 
if not more rapidly than any other city in the State. Population of the county about 
23,000, more than half of v/hich belong to Chattanooga, about one-fourth colored. 
Chattanooga already has direct railroad connections with all parts of the Union. By 
the Nashville and Chattanooga Eailroad direct and through connections are made with 
St. Louis, Louisville, Chicago and Cincinnati. By the East Tennessee, Virginia and 
Georgia Railroad, Norfolk, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York are 
i-eached by air-line. By the Western and Atlantic Eailroad Chattanooga has direct 
connection, via Atlanta, with the sea-ports of the South Atlantic. By the Alabama and 
Chattanooga Railroad the most direct connection is made with New Orleans, Mobile 
and the other gulf ports. By the Memphis and Charleston Eailroad direct connection 
is made with the Mississippi river, and with several important north and south railroad 
lines. By the St. Louis, Nashville and Chattanooga Eailroad Line, Chattanooga has 
direct connection with the Northern Central Pacific Eoute, and by the Alabama and 
Chattanooga, and the Memphis and Charleston Eailroads, direct connection with the 
different termini of the Southern Pacific Eailroad. The Cincinnati Southern Railway, 
now in course of construction, has its southern terminus at Chattanooga. Other rail- 
road connections have been surveyed, their construction being demanded by the rapid 
development of the country. 

Seven steamboats are now engaged in the Tennessee river trade above Muscle Shoals. 
The upper Tennessee, and tributaries extending into Virginia and North Carolina, 
bring to Chattanooga large quantities of produce. 

The following statistics, appertaining to the trade of Chattanooga for the year 1873, 
are as full as space will admit, and have been selected and prepared with care : 

Local miscellaneous freights received at and shipped from Chattanooga, for the year 
1873, not including grain, stock, iron, lumber, coal, cotton, nor hay : 

Forwarded, pounds 97,444,469 

Eeceived, pounds 35,352,606 



44 Resources of Tennessee. 

THEOtTGH FREIGHTS. 

From tlie north, pounds 552,645,661 

From the east, pounds 82,424,297 

From the south, pounds 46,462,395 

From the west, pounds 66,411,500 

Total 747,943,853 

Produce and mineral products received at Chattanooga, from the upper Tennessee 
"river and tributaries, for the year 1873 : 

Corn, bushels :.. 609,266 

Wheat, bushels 116,023 

Oats, bushels 121,404 

Hay, pounds 1,763,568 

Bacon, pounds 1,717,058 

Pig-iron, pounds 4,544,000 

Coal, bushels 240,000 

Saw-logs, number 10,500 

Value of goods, wares and merchandise brought to Chattanooga for the tiade of the 
city, for 1873 : 

Amount $4,339,404 

Distributed from Chattanooga over the Atlantic and Gulf States in 1873 : 

Horses and mules, number 13,380 

Hogs and sheep, number 35,700 

Cattle, number 9,640 

Corn, bushels 2,538,325 

Wheat, bushels 604,100 

Oats, bushels 507,274 

Flour, barrels ; 132,135 

Hay, pounds 25,763 568 

Bacon, pounds ....62,753,000 

Lumber shipped to the Northern and Eastern States from Cliattanooga, 1873 : 
Number of car loads 864 

■Cotton shipped from and through Chattanooga, 1873 : 

To the east, number of bales 112,850 

To the north, number of bales 2.997 

To the south, number of bales 11,669 

Total ; 127,516 

Coal and coke received at Chattanooga, for consumption there, or re-shipment south, 
1873: 

Number of bushels coal 1,193,000 

Number of bushels coke 150,000 

Iron shipped from Chattanooga, 1873 : 

Pig, pounds 26,788,000 

Merchant bar, pounds 5,772,373 

Eailroad, pounds 25,800,000 

The cost of the production of pig-iron in the vicinity of Chattanooga, whether by hot 
or cold blast, and whether with charcoal or coke, ranges from fifteen to twenty dol- 
lars, the average being below eighteen. The result depends somewhat upon surround- 
ings, but more on scientific knowledge and judicious management. 



East Tennessee. 45-, 

The following shows the capital invested, value of machinery, value of products, and* 
number of hands employed in manufacturing in Chattanooga in 1873: 

Capital invested $2,142,000 

Value of machinery 1,060,500 

Value of products 1,977,300 

Number of hands employed 1,207 

The following are some of the principal manufacturing establishments in Chatta- 
nooga : 

Chattanooga Foundry and Machine Works. Very much enlarged within the last eight 
years, and is now one of the largest and most complete establishments of the kind in 
the Soutli. It has a foundry of fifteen tons daily capacity. 

Vulcan Works. This establishment has been in operation about eight years, and man- 
ufactures bar iron, bolts, hammered axles, fish-plate, wrought iron work for railroad 
Itidges, and railroad forgings generally ; also, light T rail for narrow gauge railroads, 
and rails for street railroads. There is a full supply of all the necessary machinery, to- 
gether with five heating and puddling furnaces. 

The Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad Machine Shops. 

The Wason Car and Foundry Company have eight commodious brick buildings, well 
arranged for their several purposes. 

Roane Iron Company. This company has two blast furnaces in operation on their 
mineral lands at Eockwood, with a capacity of fifty-five tons of pig-iron per day. The 
rolling-mill of this company, located at Chattanooga, manufactures railroad iron only. 
The rail mill is 80 by 650, and contains ten Dank's rotary puddling furnaces and five 
common puddling furnaces, nine heating furnaces, four trains of rolls, fifteen steam en- 
gines, from 25 to 300 horse-power, one Winslow's squeezer, one steam hammer, together 
with all the other machinery in use in first-class rolling-mills. Capacity, 100 tons rail- 
road iron in twenty-four hours. 

Chattanooga Iron Company. This company has erected the- first blast furnace in the 
city limits since the war, and it is the only one now in the city. The blast stack is 
sixty feet high, iron shell, eighteen feet in diameter ; diameter of bosh, thirteen feet 
four inches ; 4 tuyers ; cast house 36 by 65 feet, engine house 24 by 38 feet, boiler 
house 20 by 52 feet, stock house 50 by 200 feet ; four boilers, length 50 feet, diameter, 
32 inches ; steam cylinder 32 by 48 inches ; blo^ying cylinder 6 feet diameter, 4 feet 
stroke ; draft stack 90 feet high, 50 inches inside ; capacity of furnace, 30 tons pig- 
iron daily. The cost of material delivered will not exceed — 

Ore, (over 50 per cent, metalic iron) per ton $3 00 

Limestone, per ton 1 00 

Coke, per bushel lOf 

Saw-mills, Plamng-mills, etc. There are five steam saw-mills in the city, with capacity 
for the production of 40,000 feet of lumber per day. There are also five establishments 
for the manufacture of all kinds of dressed lumber, doors, sash, blinds, and every variety 
of house-finishing materials. 



HANCOCK COUNTY. 

Oegai^'ized 1846. County-seat, Sneedville — 112,570 acres ; value, $474,995 ; 758 farms. 
This, one of the northern counties of the Valley of East Tennessee, has approximately the 
form of a right-angled triangle, the hypothenuse resting in part on the summit of Clinch 
Mountain, and the longer leg coinciding, for nearly thirty miles, with the Virginia 
line. It contains about 230 square miles. Surface — mountainous and broken, ridges 
and valleys running almost parallel, with north-east trend ; several productive val- 
leys in the county, most important of which is the Clinch Mountain Valley ; lime- 
stone prevailing rock in the valleys ; Clinch and Powell rivers navigable part of the 
year ; no railroad facilities ; abundance of timber, water and water-powers ; great deal 
of land for sale at one to thirty dollars per acre ; some iron ore is found in the county. 
Productions — corn, wheat, oats, sorghum, rye, hay and some tobacco; living is very 
cheap. Population in 1870, 7,148, of which 585 were colored. 



4.6 Resources of Tennessee, 

HAWKINS COUNTY. 

Organized 1796. County-seat, Eogersvilk— 288,986 acres; value, $2,027,727 ;_ 336 
farms ; suriace — rich valleys and productive ridges ; a portion of Clinch Mountain in 
northern part of county, and a portion of Bay's Mountain in southern part;_ Holston 
river with wide, rich bottom-lands traverses the entire county ; all crops and fruits but 
the tropical produced well ; abundance of yellow pine, poplar, walnut, oak, hickory, 
beech, cedar, and other timber ; much attention to stock-raising and improving breeds ; 
river and railroad facilities for transportation ; the variegated marble found in im- 
mense quantities in this county, is quite famous ; several useful minerals found in small 
deposits ; mineral springs abound ; plenty of water and water-powers ; climate very 
healthy. Population, 15,837, 1,889 of which are colored. Price of land ranges from 
five to seventy-five dollars per acre. Eogersville has a population of 1,000; excellent 
society. The common schools are well established. 



JAMES COUNTY. 

Oeg-anized 1871. Coimty-seat, OoUaivah — 103,782 acres ; value, $641, 010 ; traversed 
by the Savannah Valley, which has an average width of about three miles, and is quite 
fertile ; farms are large and worked mainly by owners ; railroad facilities ; fair schools ; 
plenty of timber and water ; thinly settled ; extensive beds of valuable fossiliferous 
iron ore. The prevailing rocks are limestones and dolomites. Sandstones and shales 
occur on White Oak Mountain, in which also are strata of the red fossiliferous iron ore. 
Mineral waters of various kinds abound. There is no lack of pure spring water, and 
no healthier region anywhere. The climate is mild. The winters are short, and the 
summer seasons are not oppressively warm. Population about 5,000, one-seventh of 
which are colored. 



JEFFEESON COUNTY. 

Organized 1792. County-seat, Dandridge — 179,198 acres; value, $2,146,127; 1,410 
farms ; situated in the valley of East Tennessee, and noted for its superior lands ; en- 
terprising farmers ; good schools ; numerous churches, and good society ; surface char- 
acterized by fertile, rounded ridges that swell into hills, and undulating valleys ; lime- 
stone the prevailing rock ; staples — corn, wheat, oats and hay ; fine stock country ; 
watered by the French Broad and Holston rivers, and Mossy creek ; several flourishtng 
towns; healthful climate, in commoii with all East Tennessee; railroad facilities 
abundant; plenty of room for immigrants. Population, 19,476; colored, 2,910. 



JOHNSON COUNTY. 

Organized 1836. County-seat, Taylorsville — 233,126 acres ; value, $545,973 ; 601 
farms ; traversed by a long straight valley, trending northeast, on both sides of which 
rise mountain ranges ; almost all the a]-able land in the county is in the valley. John- 
son county is chiefly noted for its iron ore banks. Before the war some fifteen forges 
were in operation ; one furnace now. The iron produced is very superior bar iron. 
County well watered by Watauga river, Eoane ci-eek, and South Fork of Laurel ; no 
railroads ; products varied, including cranberries ; abundance of fine timber of great 
variety. This is the extreme north-eastern county of the State and belongs to the Una- 
kas, of the natural divisions of the State. Population, 5,825, of which 418 are colored. 



KNOX COUNTY. 

Organized 1792. County-seat, KnoxviUe — 290,579 acres ; value, $4,359 947 ; 2,397 
farms ; total taxable property, $9,503,533 ; surface characterized by long staight ridges 
and valleys, traversing the the county in parallel from north-east to south-west ; all the 
valleys differ in eoil, and each has its peculiar productions, or peculiar parts of the gen- 
eral staple productions of East Tennessee. The Tennessee or Holston and French Broad 
rivers, with their numerous tributary creeks within this county amply supply water, 
water-power and navigation facilities ; Sinking creek, though small, furnishes excellent 



East Tennessee. 47 

water-power ; stock-raising and fruit-growing are among the leading agricultural pur- 
suits of the county, for both of which there are special advantages ; bottom lands im- 
proved are worth from $25 to $100 per acre ; ridge lands from two to ten. 

Knoxville was laid out in 1791, and has been ever since one of the leading towns of 
the State, being at present one of the most important cities in Tennessee, in point of 
population, commerce, manufactures, schools, railroad and river facilities. For not only 
-is Knoxville the geographical and topographical center of Knox county, but it is also a 
commercial and trade center of a wide region, embracing nearly all East Tennessee, and 
large sections of south-east Kentucky, south-west Virginia, western North Carolina, and 
northern Georgia and A.labama. Ultimately the resources and connections of Knox- 
ville must make it a great manufacturing center. The East Tennessee, Virginia and 
Georgia Kailroad furnishes connection for the commerce of the north-eastern and south- 
western cities. The great cross route is already begun and its completion, in the nature 
of things, cannot be long delayed. That branch of it reaching out north-west is already 
built within easy connection within any possible line of the Cincinnati Southern road, 
while it points directly through Louisville to Chicago. Other lines must be opened in 
time, connecting Knoxville more directly with Nashville and the east. These will not 
be speculative lines, but lines of real worth, built in response to urgent demands and 
supported by actual commerce. 

The following examples will indicate the importance of the city's trade : 

The poultry trade has grown to great porportions and is most systematically estab- 
lished. The rapid development of this trade is better illustrated by the following table 
of the annual shipment lor 1871-2-3, as given by the East Tennessee, Virginia and 
Georgia Railroad : 

1871. 1872. 1874. 

Eggs 20,500 lbs. 112,409 lbs. 218,301 lbs. 

Feathers 70,734 lbs. 110,009 lbs. 108,837 lbs. 

For the past two years there have been 25,000 pounds of butter shipped from Knox- 
Tille per annum. 

Of manufacturing establishments, there are tAvo foundries, one machine shop, one car- 
wheel manufactory, one rolling mill, and one nail manufactory. Of wood manufacto- 
ries, there are three sash and blind manufactories, two saw mills, one saddle-tree manu- 
factory, two furniture manufactories, one wagon and carriage manufactory, and one keg 
manufactory, besides some smaller establishments. There are three flouring mills, two 
saddle and harness manufactories, one tannery, one broom manufactory &c. The iron es- 
tablishments draw their raw material from the iron and coal mines opened at different 
points in East Tennessee — coal from Anderson and Campbell counties, and iron from 
Greene, Washington and Carter counties; the wood manufactories from various points 
in East Tennessee along the line of the railroads and rivers. In all their departments 
tliese manufacturing establishments employ 1,200 hands, perhaps, v>'ages ranging from 
one dollar per day for common laborers to four dollars and fifty cents for skilled labor- 
ers. The wholesale trade will approximate : dry goods, notions, &c., $3,000,000 ; drugs, 
$250,000 ; groceries, $350,000 ; hardware, $300,000. These sales are made in South- 
eastern Kentucky, Soutli-western A^irginia, Western North Carolina, Northern Georgia, 
North Alabama and East Tennessee, covering a large territory, as will be seen upon ex- 
amination of the maps of these States, of which Knoxville is the center. This trade is 
increasing rapidly and constantly. Approximate number of houses built, all classes, 
dwellings and business houses within the past two years, five hundred. Average wages 
for unskilled labor $1 to $2.50 per day, skilled $3 to $4.50. Average retail price of 
bacon, Vl\ cents per pound, beef 8 cents, mutton 8 cents, flour 4 cents, meal 65 cents per 
bushel, sugar 12Jcents per pound, coflee 22 to 30 cents. Average house rent, say eight 
to ten per cent, of value of property rented. Comfortable houses, four to five rooms, 
$12 to $20 per month, according to location. 

The timber trees of the county are such as are common to what we have called the valley 
division in speaking of the timber of East Tennessee. The number of the creeks in the 
county and the amount of river bottoms give an extra quantity of the yellow poplar, 
white oak and other trees growing in the richer lands, while considerable yellow pine is 
mixed with the oaks, hickories, ashes, and elms that cover the ridges. The lumber 
trade of Knoxville is rapidly increasing, mainly in such as is used in house-building. 
The prices for lumber at the yards average about as follows : Pine, poplar, hickory, oak, 



48 Resources of Tennessee. 

and ash $15, and walnut, $30 per thousand feet. The supply of the first four is practi- 
cally unlimited, but both good ash and walnut are hard to get. The hickory is extra 
fine, and large quantities are manufactured into wheel-spokes, pick and axe-handles. 
Recently a considerable trade has been opened in shipping yellow poplar plank to Bos- 
ton, and there is every reason to anticipate a large increase in this trade. The cost of 
shipment is $13 per thousand feet, ^ox cabinet-making, lumber is bought dry, ready 
for use, at about the following prices per thousand feet : Ash, beech, cherry, hackberry, 
poplar, sweet gum and sycamore $22, cherry $25, walnut $45. Our quotations are all 
for first-class lumber. 

The marble trade of Knoxville is rapidly increasing. The East Tennessee Univer- 
sity, with which is the State Agricultural College, one of the oldest, largest, and best 
equipped in every respect, in the South, occupies a beautiful eminence within Knox- 
vUle proper. The public schools are successfully established, and working most satis- 
factory. Population of county, 28,990, of which 4,840 are colored. 



LOUDON COUNTY. 

Organized 1870. Gouniy-seat, Loudon — 137,933 acres ; value, $1,484,372 ; total tax- 
able property, $1,972,252. Population about 7,500, one-seventh colored. The larger 
portion of this county is very productive ; the county is traversed by the Tennessee 
river, tributary to which within the county are Sweetwater, Pond, Fork and Town 
creeks, and the respective valleys of each of these streams are very fertile ; the farms 
are large and well tilled by improved methods ; 350,000 bushels of grain shipped an- 
nually ; ample railroad and river facilities ; numerous water-powers ; county is out of 
debt ; has fine public buildings, and is in a very prosperous condition. Stock-raising 
is greatly on the increase ; horses, mules, hogs and cattle, as well as other kinds of 
stock, are being raised for market, but mules and cattle are principally looked to as a 
source of revenue at the present time. The prevailing rock is limestone, and every 
species of timber abounds. There is a cotton factory situated on Town creek, at Le- 
noir's, that employs twenty-five operatives. 



MAEION COUNTY. 

Organized 1817. Coimty-seat, Jasper — Acres assessed 274,631; value, $1,103,430; 
total taxable property, $1,263,199; lies partly on Cumberland Table-land, and partly 
in Sequatchie valley ; the soil in the latter is limestone, highly jaroductive, though 
much worn. On the Table-land, soil sandstone, thin, furnishes fine highland pasturage. 
Coal and iron ore exist in large quantities, the former mined to the amount of 500,000 
bushels annually. Staple crops : corn, wheat, oats and potatoes ; soil well adapted to to- 
bacco and hay ; best land forty dollars j)er acre ; medium twenty dollars ; mountain land 
from fifty cents to five dollars; the county is well watered by the Tennessee river. Big 
and Little Sequatchie rivers and Battle creek ; the Tennessee river is navigrble and 
furnishes a good outlet ; a railroad runs from Jasper to Bridgeport, Alabama, uniting 
with the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. Population, 6,841, 915 colored. 



McMINN COUNTY. 

Orgajstized 1819. County-seat, Atheiis — Acres assessed, 270,249 ; value, $2,066,817 ; 
total taxable property, $2,754,273 ; lies partly in the Valley of East Tennessee, tra- 
versed from north-east to south-west by six large creeks ; the Hiwassee river forms the 
south-west boundary of the county; water-power abundant and valuable ; soil lime- 
stone, alluvial and cherty, two former very productive ; best lands eighty dollars per 
acre; second class from twenty -five to fifty dollars per acre, according to location ; third 
class from one to ten dollars ; timber : oak, chestnut, walnut, locust, hickory and pine ; 
staple products : corn, wheat, oats, rye, grasses, clover ; the soil grows tobacco well ; ed- 
ucational advantages good ; no county debt. Athens has a population of 1,000 and is 
noted for its excellent society. 



East Tennessee. 49 

MEIGS COUNTY. 

Organized 1835 ? Cmnty-seat, Decatur — Acres assessed, 129,144 ; value, $1,072,322 ; 
total taxable property, $1,148,930 ; the Tennessee river passes through the county and 
runs north-east and south-west ; it is the only channel of transportation ; the Hiwassee 
river runs from east to west and is floatable ; river and creek bottoms extensive and 
jjroductive ; the county lies wholly in the Valley of East Tennessee ; soil calcareous, 
fertile except on ridges ; bottom lands on Tennessee river, best $100 per acre ; medium 
$75 ; best uplands $40 ; inferior from one to ten dollars ; corn, wheat, oats, potatoes 
and sorghum principal crops ; timber as in McMinn ; Chattanooga principal market ; 
large quantities of corn shipped from county. Population, 4,511, of which 436 are 
colored. 

MONEOE COUNTY. 

Oegahized 1819. County-seat, Madisomille — Acres assessed 444,913; value, $1,878,- 
973 ; total taxable property $2,304,291 ; one of the border counties, lying next to North 
Carolina ; southern portion high, mountainous, rough, unfit for farming purposes ; north- 
ern part lies in the valley of East Tennessee ; ridgy, with productive valleys ; Sweet- 
water Valley is one of the most charming in the State ; almost every variety of soil is 
represented in this county ; large deposits of iron ore exist ; products and timber very 
much as in Carter ; improved lands are worth from seven to fifty dollars per acre ; the 
East Tennessee, Virgina and Georgia Eailroad passes through the county; Tennessee 
and Tellico rivers furnish transportation by water ; water-power is abundant and valu- 
able. Population in 1870, 12,589, 1,235 colored. Madisonville has a population of 350. 



MOEGAN COUNTY. 

Organized 1817. County-seat, Wartburg — Lies on the Cumberland Table-land ; soil 
sandstone, thin and unproductive of the cereals ; well adapted to fruit, Irish potatoes 
and garden vegetables ; highway pasturage good ; lands cheap, ranging in price from 
fifty cents for wald to twenty dollars for best improved; timber on slopes excellent; 
some German emigrants have settled in the county; the Cincinnati Southern Eailroad 
will pass through the county ; acres assessed 803,258 ; value, $352,515 ; total taxable 
property, $398,081 ; coal abundant but not worked ; water-power good. 



POLK COUNTY. 

Organized 1839. County-seat, Benton — Occupies tJie extreme south-east corner of the- 
State ; tlie surface is rough, broken and sometimes mountainous ; there are a few rich 
valleys that produce wlieat, com, oats in generous quantities ; much of this land in the 
county has been sadly worn by bad tillage ; the Ocoee, a rapid, roaring streams, sweeps 
through the county in raging torrents, descending a thousand feet in twenty miles; coj)- 
per abaunds in this county, and a large amount of capital is invested in the reduction 
of the ore; acres assessed 253,510; valued at $975,454; total taxable property $1,220,- 
470 ; land : improved, from three to twenty dollars per acre. Population in 1870, 
9,369, 313 colored. 

EHEA COUNTY. 

Organized 1807. County-seat, Washington — Acres assessed 202,691 ; valued at $969, 
836 ; total taxable property, $1,123,570 ; the area of Ehea county is divided betweeji 
the Valley of East Tennessee and tlie Cumberland Table-land ; its north-western bound- 
nry rests on Walden's Eidge, this plateau ridge being divided about equally between 
Eiiea and Bledsoe ; its south-eastern boundary is the Tennessee river, which separates 
it from Meigs ; on the north-east it is bounded by Eoane county, and on the south-west 
by Hamilton ; between Walden's Eidge and a series of broken knobs parallel with it, 
is a long valley running the entire length of the county, which constitutes a part of a 
great valley extending through the State, and closely hugging the eastern escarpment 
of the Table-land ; the Tennessee river meanders through rich alluvial bottoms ; White's 



50 Resources oj Tennessee. 

creek, Muddy creek, Piney river, Town creek, Wolf creek, Clear creek. Yellow creek, 
Big and Little Bichland, and Sale creek, thread various portions of it ; the soil on the 
Cumberland Table-land is sandstone and thin, that in the river valley alluvial, and in 
the subordinate valleys clayey and calcareous ; the price of the first per acre varies 
from one to five dollars, of the second from twenty -five to one hundred, of the third from 
ten to fifty dollars ; production same as in Meigs. Population in 1870, 5,528, colored 531. 



KOANE COUNTY. 

Orgaitczed 1801. County-seat, Kingston — Acres assessed 212,789 ; valued at $1,770,- 
129 ; total taxable property, $2,210,961 ; topographically this county is very much like 
Khea ; price of land about the same ; iron ore and coal are abundant, and several well 
appointed furnaces are in operation ; one for making charcoal iron has lately been 
erected at Kingston ; marble both white and variegated exists in great abundance ; the 
■county is watered by the Tennessee, and its tributaries, the Clinch and Emory rivers, 
the last of which are navigable about eight months in the year, the first all the year ; 
Eockwood, five miles from Tennessee river, is an important mafiufacturing town, two 
blast furnaces being at that point ; timber is in great plenty and of valuable kinds, 
such as pine, poplar, walnut and oak ; coal is extensively mined at several points ; lime- 
stone is abundant in the valleys, sandstone on the mountain ; oak is the prevailing tim- 
ber, though east of Kingston are pine forests ; poplar and walnut are also found. Pop- 
ulation in 1870, 15,622, of which 2,128 were colored. Kingston, the county-seat, offers 
facilities equal to Chattanooga for manufacturing. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 

Okganized 1849. County-seat, Huntsmlle — Acres assessed 387,831 ; value, $236,187 ; 
total taxable property, $266,943 ; improved lands five dollars per acre, unimproved 
from fifty cents to three dollars ; it has a sparse population ; the strips of land lying 
along the streams produce well ; sheep-husbandry and fruit-growing would pay largely ; 
magnificent forests of valuable timber and its large coal resources will be developed 
upon the completion of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, which will pass through the 
county. By reference to the map of Tennessee it will be seen that it is one of the ex- 
treme northern counties of East Tennessee. It lies on the Cumberland Table-land, and 
possesses all the characteristics of that region. The only lands that are valueable lie 
upon the creeks, and these are narrowed down to small strips. Population in 1870, 
4,054, colored 39. 



SEQUATCHIE COUNTY. 

Oegakezed 1857. County-seat, Dunlap — Acres assessed 131,258 ; valued at $296, 832 ; 
total taxable property $347,526. Population, 2,335, 175 colored. This county is tra- 
versed by Sequatchie Valley, which divides it naturally into three strips or belts — the 
south-eastern portion being on Walden's Bidge, the central being in Sequatchie Valley, 
and the north-western on the Table-land ; the first and third portions have about the 
same elevations, while the central or valley portion is not far from being one thousand 
feet lower, and is the only cultivated part of the county. This is walled in by the es- 
carpments of the Table-land on the one side, and Walden's Eidge on the other ; it has 
only one natural outlet, and that is south-west to the town of Jasper, the capital of 
Marion county, where a branch of the Nashville and Chattanooga Eailroad is reached ; 
iron ore and coal are abundant and easily mined ; the lands in the Sequatchie Valley 
are very_ valuable and command high prices, running from twenty-five to fifty dollars ; 
the soil in the valley is limestone, on the Table-land and on Walden's Eidge the soil is 
sandstone, and the land cheap, ranging from one dollar to five ; timber in the valley 
consists of oak, hickory, walnut, maple, beech, &c., on the Table-land chestnut abounds. 



SEVIEE COUNTY. 

Organized 1795. County-seat, Seiderville — Number of acres assessed 549,059 ; value, 
1,377,867 ; total taxable property, $1,593,648 ; contains much valuable land ; exten- 



East Tennessee c i 

sive banks of iron ore undeveloped, with some other minerals ; much jfine land for agri- 
culture and stock-raising ; immigration and capital can make the great area of this 
county rich and flourishing; the surface of this county is generally mountainous- 
there is a belt of limestone land several miles wide that passes through the county that 
is very fertile, another belt passes south of Sevierville ; the valleys on Little Pio-eon 
and French Broad rivers are very fertile ; the knob-land of which there is a considera- 
ble quantity is very productive ; there are five valleys or coves in Sevier county • 
Wear's pove is the most noted, it is about five miles long and three miles wide the 
monntains wall it on both sides ; the coves next to the Unaka Mountains are very rich • 
they afford a range sufiicient for thousands of cattle from the 1st April to the 15th of 
November ; corn, wheat and oats are the staple crops ; stock-raising is carried on to 
some extent ; water-power is good. Population, 11,028, 283 colored. 



SULLIVAN COUNTY. 

Okgamzed 1779. County-seat, JBlountville — Acres assessed 237,271 ; valued at $1,819,- 
856; total taxable property, $2,394,472. Bristol on the State line at the terminus of 
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Eailroad is a flourishing town ; the above 
road, a link in the Great Eastern Air Line passes through the county ; there are sev- 
eral flourishing towns on this route within the county ; the county contains a large area 
of fine grass and wheat lands ; the stock of the county is above an average ; the pre- 
vailing rock is limestone ; occasionally, on the ridges, sandstone and flint , the princi- 
pal mineral is iron, and that is in great abundance and of the best quality ; at one time 
there were eight iron manufactories in operation, besides founderies for making 
hollow-ware ; there only two now in blast; the soil of Sullivan county is based mostly 
upon a solid clay sub-soil, and ^ susceptible of great improvement and well adapted to 
all the grasses ; there is a great deal of what is termed mulatto soil of a dark reddish 
-color, and is regarded as the best wheat land in the county ; land varies in price from 
two to fifty dollars per acre ; the prevailing timber is oak, poplar, ash, walnut, chestnut, 
beech and yelloM^ pine ; productions : wheat, corn, oats, sorghum and buckwheat. Pop- 
ulation, 13,136, 857 colored. 



UNION COUNTY. 

Oegaiiized 1856. County-seat, MaynardvUle — Acres assessed 98,475 ; valued at $734,- 
•093. Population 7,605, of which 214 are colored. Improvsd lands Avorth about ten 
dollars per acre, unimproved five dollars. The valleys are Big Valley, Hickory Val- 
ley, Hind's Valley. Eaccoon Valley, Bull Kun Valley, and Flat "Creek Valley, the most 
noted of which are Big Valley, Hickory Valley, Eaccoon Valley and Flat Creek Val- 
ley; their average fertility, under such culture as is usually bestowed by the farmers 
of this county, is about thirty bushels of corn or oats, and about ten bushels of wheat 
to the acre ; other crops in proportion ; the ridge and mountain lands are scarcely fit 
for anything except it be for raising fruit and grazing sheep ; the principal crops grown 
are corn, wheat, oats, rye potatoes, cotton, tobacco, soi-ghum, etc. Nearly one-tenth of 
the land is devoted to grass, one-half of which is mown and the remainder is pastured; 
•one-fourth is clovered, which is mostly pastured ; the principal rocks are limestone ; 
the prevailing timber is poplar, pine, oak, chestnut, etc., of which there is a great 
abundance ; water-courses suitable for manufacturing purposes are, Lost creek, Little 
Barren, Miller's creek, Crooked creek, Fall creek. Bull Eun, Hind's creek, Dotson creek 
and Flat creek ; any of these will afibrd power sufiicient for any kind of machinery; 
besides these, there are some smaller ones suitable for light machinery, such as carding 
machines, cotton gins, etc. Clinch and Powell's rivers run through the county. The 
value of taxable property is $843,014 ; no railroads ; facilities for transportation not 
good ; iron ore is found in great quantities ; the county is well adapted for sheep-rais- 
ing. Ample room for immigrants. 



WASHINGTON COUNTY. 

Orgakized 1777. County-seat, Joneshm-o — Area 430 square miles; acres assessed 
504,736 ; valued at $2,270,033 ; total taxable property, $2,709,541. Population 16,317, 



5 2 Resottrces of Tennessee. 

colored 1,614. The southern part ia very mountainous, some of the peaks rising over 
BIX thousand feet above tide water. Several beautiful coves, among others, Greasy- 
Cove and Bompass Cove lie in the mountains, the soils of which are very productive f 
in these coves are found valuable iron deposits. The Watauga washes the north-east- 
ern boundary, and the Nolichucky by deep canyons cuts the Unakas at right angles. 
The soil on the north part of the county is calcareous and cherty, with occasional out- 
croppings of gray shale, and is fertile and durable ; improved lands are Avorth from 
twenty to thirty dollars per acre in the best portions of the county; the mountain landa 
are cheap, ranging from fifty cents to two dollars per acre. Besides iron ore, lead and 
barytes are met with ; the county is heavily timbered with oak, walnut, beech, poplar, 
wild cherry, hickory and ash. Productions : corn, wheat, oats, buckwheat, potatoes 
and flax. The public schools are among the best in the State. 



MIDDLE TENNESSEE 



Middle Tennessee is by far the most populous division of the State. 
It embraces forty counties and has a superficial area of 18,000 square 
miles, and a population, according to the last census, of 561,832, of 
which 157,122, were colored. The value of its taxable property in 
1873, was 1136,906,579 ; number of polls, 80,858 ; number of voters, 
109,796. It contains 145 towns and villages. It has 550 miles of 
railway, and nearly 500 miles of navigable rivers. The surface is 
greatly diversified, and exhibits varieties of scenery the most opposite. 
Passing from Grundy to Wayne, or diagonally from Stewart to Frank- 
lin, one sees almost every variety of landscape and surface features — 
mountainous, with rushing torrents and foaming cataracts ; hilly, with 
swift, smoothly gliding streams; level, where the waters linger by the 
sides of green pastures and grassy meadows, and where luxuriant crops 
gladden the face of nature. There is indeed no fairer region than that 
of Middle Tennessee. Nature has been lavish of her gifts of soil, of 
minerals, of timber and of water, of beauty in the landscape and fresh- 
ness in the air ; of health for the body and mind and freedom from 
inclemencies of season. There is not a swamp properly, so called, 
within its boundaries. Its drainage is almost perfect. The surface 
is slightly tilted toward the north-west, and through deep gorges in the 
Highlands, the Cumberland, Duck and Elk rivers flow on to mingle 
their waters with those of the Mississippi. There are altogether, more 
than 300 milling streams in this division, over fifty macadamized roada, 
and good schools and churches in every neighborhood. One peculiar- 
ity is noticeable about Middle Tennessee, and that is its great variety 
of productions. No crop can be named, that grows above the 35tk 
parallel, that does not mature in some portion of this division. To- 
bacco, corn, clover, wheat, barley, rye, cotton, peanuts, all the grasses, 
vegetables of every kind, melons of the finest flavor and size, fruits, 
such as grapes, peaches, pears, apples, quinces, apricots, plums, cherries, 
strawberries, dewberries, raspberries, gooseberries, attain each such a 



Middle Tennessee. 53 

perfection as to be noticeable. The climate is such as to permit the 
introduction of the fig and magnolia. And further, nearly every pro- 
duct ripens most opportunely, and can always be put upon a bare mar- 
ket. Wheat and fruit and all the vegetables can be put in the Chicago 
or New York markets three weeks before they ripen in that latitude. 
The extent, variety and excellence of the timber is another marked 
feature of this division. Nowhere else are there such forests of red 
cedar, while the ash, poplar, cherry, sugar tree, the oaks and hickories, 
are found everywhere. The white oak is said to be superior to any 
found in America. Nowhere in America are seen so much valuable 
fencing material. For in addition to the cedar and chestnut timber, 
which make the best rails in the world, there is an unlimited amount 
of the finest building stone, of which cheap and durable enclosures may 
be constructed. Within the same limits there is no country in which 
is found such a variety of soils of such excellent qualities and of such 
adaptabilities. 

The soils of this division though thin on the Cumberland Table- 
land and in the barrens of the Highlands, are rich, mellow and highly 
productive, and will yield generously to kind treatment and good cul- 
ture. 

In relation to the mineral wealth in this division, the iron ore on the 
west covering 4,000 square miles, is balanced by the stone coal on the 
east. As to the quantity of these two minerals, there is practically no 
limit. Since 1810 the iron ore has been worked, and we have no rea- 
son for believing that it will not be Avorked a thousand years hence. 

As a manufacturing region, time will develop its eminent advan- 
tages. The aggregate amount of unoccupied water-power is enough to 
work up annually the entire cotton crop of America. Cheap coal is 
attainable from three points — from our own coal fields, from the upper 
Cumberland, and from the western coal fields of Kentucky. 

&toek. There is no surer method of estimating the wealth and solid- 
ity of a farming community, than by the number and excellence of 
its domestic animals. Middle Tennessee, and especially that portion 
included within what is called the Central Basin, has probably as much 
fine stock as all the cotton states put together. For three-quarters of 
a century, Tennessee horses have been famous. On the turf and in 
the more useful labors of the farm and on the field of battle, their 
spirit of endurance has given them a character unsurpassed. Ten- 
nessee mules, for the two past decades, have cultivated the cotton 
fields of the South. Cattle of every breed from the lordly short- 
horn to the deer-shaped Ayrshire, are seen grazing upon every hill, 
and the central part of this middle division is acquiring an enviable 
fame. From Indiana and Illinois, Ohio and Missouri buyers come 
to this State in search of the most perfect types of every animal. 
One noted for his sagacity in stock-breeding, recently declared that 
the Central Basin was the finest region for growing cattle he had 
ever seen. With a spontaneous growth of blue-grass, there is united a 
well watered fertile region, in a mild climate and one whose health- 



54 Resources of Tennessee. 

fulness for stock is unsurpassed. The richest countries in the world are 
the cattle countries, and one may well determine the value of land by 
the price of the cattle. Every well-informed man knows that the 
quality of wool made in Tennessee has elicited the admiration of the 
whole world. The late Mark Cockrill used to declare that every 
agency is here united to make the very finest fleece, and he had the 
satisfaction of demonstrating it to the assembled wool-growers of the 
world. 

Farms and Fai'mers. The attentive reader will not have failed to 
observe that the main topographical feature of Middle Tennessee con- 
sists of a grand terrace covering 9,300 square miles, which circularly 
rims the great limestone basin which we have called the Central Basin,, 
and which covers 5,450 square miles. This basin is the fairest agri- 
cultural region in the United States, south of the thirty-sixth parallel,, 
and the character of the soil, the style, finish and elegance of the farm- 
houses, and the general beauty of the country, depending not upon 
any general feature, but the combined result of hill and dale, wood and 
stream, meadow and field, mingled into a thousand delightful land- 
scapes, everywhere set off this Basin and make it an extended panorama 
of exquisite rural elegance and beauty. In it are found the very best 
farmers in the State, who bring to their vocation the appliances of im- 
proved machinery and all other agencies that a cultivated intellect 
would suggest. As a usual rule rotation is practiced, though not to- 
the same extent as before the war. The soil is well prepared by deep 
plowing and sub-soiling, and the crops are usually well cultivated, ex- 
cept in those localities where the pernicious system of cropping prevails. 
Labor is scarce and not reliable, and as a general thing the farms are 
too large and were arranged to suit the old plantation system, which 
under the new regime has ceased to be profitable. Lands in the Cen- 
tral Basin are high, the best improved farms ranging from thirty to 
one hundred dollars per acre. And there is one singular fact connected 
herewith. Remote from railroads, lands in this Basin have not greatly 
depreciated in price, while in the more populous counties, such as 
Maury, Davidson, Sumner and Rutherford, they have fallen since 
the war at least forty per cent. In Cannon, Smith and Marshall 
counties and portions of Bedford, lauds are in moderately active de- 
mand at high prices. There is but one way to account for this phenom- 
enon. The high rate of interest money bears, and the frequent oppor- 
tunities offered for investment in the first named counties, have di- 
rected the minds of many farmers from their legitimate business, and 
they prefer the more quiet work of clipping off coupons to the trouble- 
some and constant attention necessary to insure success on their farms. 
Hence many farms are for sale, and the competition among sellers has 
■ reduced the price of land. 

On the Highlands, and especially in Montgomery, Robertson, Stew- 
art, Warren and Franklin, the character of the farms and farmers is 
much the same as in the Central Basin. In the first three named, to- 
bacco is largely grown, and no land in the State grows wheat so kindly 



Middle Tennessee. ' ^5 

or so well. The Highlands are probably also better suited for fruits 
than any land in the State, except the Cumberland Table-land. In 
proportion to productive capacity, there are probably no lands in the 
State that rate lower in price than those in Montgomery, Stewart and 
the other counties of the Highland rim. 

In respect to health, the Highlands will compare favorably with any 
portion of the American continent. No epidemic has ever prevailed,, 
and as the forests are swept away by the demands of domestic life, even 
fevers, (which were once prevalent,) by reason of the climatic changes 
wrought are becoming uncommon. There is really no epidemic disease, 
and when the Central Basin is sometimes unfortunately visited by chol- 
era, the citizens flee to the Highlands, with an assurance of perfect 
immunity from that dread disease. 

In the northern tier of counties on the Highlands, ice-houses are 
very common, and almost every farmer either has one or an interest in 
one. Spring and well water is abundant, though many prefer cisterns. 
In the Central Basin spring water is very generally used. The pre- 
valence of limestone makes the digging of wells or cisterns expen- 
sive and difficult. With the exception of a very few localities, stock- 
water is abundant throughout Middle Tennessee. 

The climate is equable and mild. Observations for twenty-one years 
show that the temperature has not gone above 99°, while the lowest 
has been 8° below zero. The mean summer temperature is 75° — an- 
nual mean58°. The average of low temperature for twenty-one years 
is 2.6°. The number of days between killing frosts is 189, and the 
average amount of rainfall forty-six inches. Winter rarely lasts over 
seventy-five days, and snows, though occurring often during winter, 
soon disappear. In general, the climate, on equal latitudes, is two de- 
grees hotter than in East Tennessee and two degrees cooler than in 
West Tennessee. During some winters stock is able to subsist through- 
out the season upon grasses and especially is this the case in protected 
situations. 

Mineral springs of excellent water are found scattered all over Mid- 
dle Tennessee. The most noted are upon the Highlands and upon the 
Cumberland Table-land. The spring region of Middle Tennessee is 
becoming justly famous, not only on account of the water, but for the 
beauty of the landscape and purity of the atmosphere. Especially is 
this the case with the portion upon the Table-land. The magic influ- 
ence of the mountain air and the healing virtues of the water, impreg- 
nated as it is with salts of iron, have restored many a dyspeptic to 
vigorous health, and given fresh vitality to many a frame worn down 
with overwork, confinement and anxiety. 

As to educational facilities, no portion of the South is better provided 
than the best portions of Middle Tennessee. And the probabilities now 
are that it will become the great educational center of the Mississippi 
Valley. Several first-class Universities are now being established with 
endowments ranging from |100,000 to $1,000,000. A generous rivalry 
is springing up between the different religious denominations, and Mid- 



56 Resources of Tennessee, 

die Tennessee is gathering into her lap contributions from almost every 
State in the Union for the benefit of her educational institutions. 

We should probably be remiss in our duty not to say that immigrants 
would be warmly welcomed. In no portion of the United States could 
they do better. Industry is here sure of its reward. Thousands of 
acres of good land can be bought at reasonable prices on the Highlands 
and in the Basin. Much of the land on the Highlands is thin and un- 
productive, except for fruit, and may be bought for two and three dol- 
lars per acre. Wherever a red sub-soil prevails, the original surface 
soil is good. Many such spots occur in basin-like depressions and 
constitute as valuable land as can be found in the State. 



BEDFOED COUNTY. 

Organized 1809. Cmnty-smt, Shelhyville — Population in 1870, 24,333, of which 6,484 
were colored ; taxable property in 1873, $7,104,965 ; number of acres assessed, 293,333, 
valued at $5,295,952. The county lies in the Central Basin ; its surface is rolling with 
occasional flat-topped hills ; the soil is rich, and the whole county is exceedingly well 
watered ; Duck river flows from east to west a little south of the center of the county ; 
the tributaries which enter it from the north are Spring creek. North Fork, Garrison 
Fork, with its tributary Wartrace creek; Barren Fork maybe considered the main 
stream, but the name of Duck river is not affixed to it until after its junction with Gar- 
rison Fork ; the tributaries from the south are Sinking creek. Big Flat creek, Thomp- 
son's creek, besides many smaller streams ; there is scarcely a farm in the county that 
does not have one or more springs of pure limestone water ; limestone is the prevailing 
rock ; the soil is calcareous and highly pi-oductive ; the timber is ash, poplar, walnut, 
butternut, elm, red-bud, sumac, dogwood, black gum, and extensive forests of red cedar, 
covering in the aggregate ninety square miles ; fences are built mostly of cedar rails. 
Productions : corn, wheat, oats, rye, blue-grass, timothy, herds-grass, German millet, 
Hungarian grass, and in the north-eastern part of the county, cotton. Stock-raising is 
carried on extensively, many mules are shipped south. The blue-grass lands cover 
one-half the surface of the county. The smaller industries claim a good share of atten- 
tion. Cotton is manufactured to some extent. Lands are worth from ten to eighty 
dollars per acre — very little for sale. The farms are in a high state of cultivation ; 
amount of negro labor employed inconsiderable. Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad 
furnishes ample facilities for the shipment of produce. Towns and villages are Shelhy- 
ville, Bellbuckle, Unionville, Eichmond, Flat creek, Normandy, Fairfield, Palmetto, 
Hawthorne, Eover, Fall creek, Haley's Station and Bedford. No minerals of import- 
ance. In agriculture it is not surpassed by any county in the State. 



CANNON COUNTY. 

Organized 1836. Coimty-seat, Woodbury — Population in 1870, 10,502, of which 927 
were colored; acres of land assessed, 160,0.13; valued at $1,452,220; total value of tax- 
able property, $1,669,240. More than half of this county lies in the Central Basin, and 
the remainder, or eastern and southern edge, on the Highland Eim. Spurs shoot out 
from the Highlands into the valley, one of which, in the northern part of the county, ex- 
tends nearly through it, from east to west, and forms the water-shed between the streams 
that enter directly into the Cumberland, and those which flow in an opposite direction 
into Stone's river. From the north, beginning on the east, Stone's river is fed by Eock- 
house. Carpenter's, Eush and Lock creeks ; from the south. Hill's creek, Hollis' creek 
and Brawley's Fork, the latter having several tributaries known as Espy's Cave, Horse 
Spring Fork and Burgess creek, the three making Carson's Fork, which empties into 



Middle Tennessee, 57 

Brawley's Fork, one-half mile south of the Woodbury and Murfreesboro Turnpike, and 
the latter into Stone's river, five miles west of the county-seat. Barren Fork of Col- 
lins river, rises on the Highlands, which form the eastern edge of the county, and 
flows east into Warren county. Nearly all these streams supply good water-power. 
Stone's river, by reason of its swiftness and constancy, and volume of water is especially 
suited for milling purposes. The soils, on the Highlands, are light colored, sometimes 
of a pale yellow, often blue and occasionally red. These soils for the most part, are 
thin and unproductive, occupying level areas, and covered with a rank barren grass 
which affords good summer grazing. Fruits, herds-grass and tobacco grow well upon 
tlie Highlands, but these soils are not well suited for general farming. The soil of the 
part lying in the Central Basin is rich and the lands rolling. Productions : corn, wheat, 
oats, hay, live stock, and in the western part of the county, cotton. Lands are worth in 
the best parts of the county from twenty to sixty dollars ; on the Highlands from two 
to ten ; not much for sale ; the county resembles Bedford in all except the cedar forests 
of the latter. 

CHEATHAM COUNTY. 

Okganized 1856. Gounty-seai, Ashland— It lies below Nashville on both sides of the 
Cumberland river, and belongs to the Highland Eim ; the soils on the uplands is sili- 
ceous and calcareous. For the most part, the face of the county is hilly. Adjoining 
Kobertson and Montgomery counties, the hill-land is quite productive, yielding well 
corn, wheat, oats and tobacco ; while the valleys contiguous to the Sycamore, Half Pone 
and Barton's creeks, are rich and produce fine crops. The noj-th side of the river is 
mostly broken and the hill-land valuable only for the timber. The Marrowbone creek 
bottoms are not so productive as those on the streams already mentioned. On the south 
of Cumberland, the land on Harpeth river is exceedingly fertile, and on Sam's and 
Brush creeks is good. The greater portion of the county on the south side is hillyand 
almost mountainous. Sycamore creek, also on the north side of the Cumberland river, 
affords a good and constant supply of water. A large powder mill is in operation on 
this stream, with a capacity of 240 kegs of blasting, or 3,000 pounds of sporting pow- 
der per day. This stream runs deeply below tlie general level of the country ; its .aver- 
age depth being 140 feet. It falls rapidly and affords many valuable mill sites. Har- 
peth river and its tributaries on the south side of the Cumberland, have valuable water- 
power. On Harpeth is a very valuable one, known as the " Narrows of Harpeth." 
Iron ore exists in the county yielding from furnace about 45 per cent. 

Hill-land unimproved, sells from three to five dollars per acre. Improved land caai 
be bought at from ten to fifty dollars per acre Corn, wheat, tobacco, peanuts, oats, hay, 
and rye are the principal productions. Timber is plentiful. Facilities for transporta- 
tion furnished by the Cumberland river and by the Nashville and Northwestern Kail- 
road. Population in 1870, 6,678, of which 1,470 were colored. Acres assessed, 182,287 ; 
valued at $990,708 ; total value of taxable property, $1,154,108. 



CLAY COUNTY. 

Oeganized 1870. County-seat. Ceiwia— Population about 6,000 ; acres assessed, 124,- 
933; valued at $661,061; total value of taxable property, $763,615. The county is 
nearly a parallelogram, forty miles in length from east to west, by twelve miles wide. 
In order to facilitate a correct understanding of its topography, it is best first to imagine 
a plain of the above dimensions, with a moderately undulating surface, nearly level in 
the west Then imagine the middle of this plain cut diagonally across from north-east 
to south-west by a valley of irregular outline nearly 600 feet deep, and averaging a lit- 
tle more than one mile in breadth between the bases of the opposite hills. This is the 
valley of Cumberland river. Opening into it on the east side near the center of the 
county, is the long, winding valley of Obey's river, with a general direction from east to 
west A number of smaller creeks emptying into these two rivers, have valleys of their 
own, extending outward, and separated from each other by ridges or fingers of the pi am 
to which the general surface of the county has been referred. These ridges and the in- 
tervales may be compared to the teeth of a saw, broad at the base and growing gradu- 
ally narrowed toward the apex. Some of the valleys have branches ramifying back 
among the Highlands and breaking the surface of the plain irregularly. The extremi- 



58 Resources of Tennessee, 

ties of some of the ridges have been cut off, leaving isolated knobs standing out in the 
valleys. The soil except in the creek and and river basins is a rich dark loam, with a 
red clay sub-soil ; the timber consists of hickory, beech, sugar, maple, and dogwood on 
the hill-sides and hollows ; on the hills, oak and chestnut predominate. Productions: 
corn, tobacco, clover and grass, wheat, oats, rye and potatoes. Much attention is paid 
to the raising of live stock. Improved farms on the upland can be bought at from five 
to ten dollars per acre ; from twenty to fifty dollars in the valley. Cumberland river 
which passes through the county is navigable for steamboats about seven months in the 
year ; Obey river is also navigable for three months. Iron ore and petroleum are found 
in various portions of the county. 



COFFEE COUNTY. 

Organized 1 836. County-seat, Manchester — Forms part of the Highland Eim, a small 
portion of the county around Beech Grove being in the Central Basin ; the lands around 
Beech Grove are not surpassed in fertility by any land in the State ; the country is 
beautifully diversified with hill and valley, abounding in springs of pure water ; the- 
soil is admirably adapted to the production of corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, hemp,, 
clover, timothy, herdsgrass and orchards grass ; on the Highlands tobacco grows well, 
but the cereals are not as prolific as on the lands in the Basin ; the timber in the Basin 
is beech, oak, sugar tree, elm, ash, hackberry, black walnut, white walnut, cherry, mul- 
berry, yellow poplar, pawpaw, black locust, honey locust, buckeye, linn, Av^hite and 
black haw ; on the upland or " barrens " blackjack and hickory are the most common 
growth. Land in the " barrens " is cheap, improved and unimproved from ten to two 
dollars per acre ; in the Central Basin, improved farms are worth from forty to sixty 
dollars. Population in 1870, 10,237, of which 1,501 were colored ; acres assessed, 253,- 
816 ; valued at $1,520,201 ; total value of taxable projjcrty, $1,911,074. The water- 
power is as good as can be found in the State ; the principal streams are Bark Camp 
Fork and Garrison Fork of Duck river. Some interesting ruins are found in this county. 
Nashville and Chattanooga, and Manchester and McMinnville Railroads furnish ample 
means of transportation. The principal villages and towns besides Manchester, are 
Tullahoma, Beech Grove, Plillsboro, Summitville, Pocahontas and Needmore. 



CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 

Organized 1856. County-seat, Crossville — One of the counties of the Cumberland 
Table-land ; drained by Big Emory and its tributaries Daddy's creek and Obey's river ; 
Caney Fork flows through the western part of the county. With the exception of a 
small part of the head of Sequatchie Valley, this county lies on the Cumberland Table- 
land. The surface is generally level or undulating, and thinly wooded. In many 
places there are glades of greater or less extent, which are, in fact, small prairies, desti- 
tute of timber, and covered Avith coarse, rank grass. The superabundance of water in 
the soil and cm the surface is the cause of the absence of timber. Besides the glades 
there are extensive flats, covered mainly with post oak and black-jack. The ridges and 
hills, which, with a few exceptions, are but little elevated above the general level, are 
often gravelly, and sustain a larger and more dense growth of timber, among which are 
several varieties of oaks, chestnut, hickory, white poplar, pine, and sometimes elm and 
maple. The larger streams generally flow in narrow valleys below the general level, and 
the abutting hill-s are often rugged and steep. Crab Orchard Mountain, has an elevation 
of 1,000 feet above the mountain plateau on which its rests, being, in fact, a mountain on 
top of a mountain. Beginning near Big Emory river, it extends south -westwardly, ris- 
ing gradually till an elevation of 1,000 feet above the Table-land is attained above Crab 
Orchard Gap, through which the road from Crossville to Kingston passes. At this gap 
it is cut completely in twain, leaving room for a large farm between the abutting ends. 
Continuing its course in the same direction, but having a less elevation, it is abruptly 
cut into at another point from the last by Grassy Cove. This cove is one of the most 
remarkable topographical features of the Table-land. Here we have between the two 
opposing ends of the mountain a beautiful and fertile valley eight miles in its greatest 
diameter from north-east to south-west, and four miles wide. It is depressed 300 feet 
below the average elevation of the Table-land, by which it is completely surrounded. 
The Crab Orchard Mountain, beginning again at the south-west end of the cove, contin- 



Middle Tennessee 



59^ 



ues in a direct line to its abrupt termination at the head of Sequatchie Valley. About 
three miles of the head of Sequatchie Valley are included in Cumberland county, which 
is the only part of the county not on the Table-land. Though comprising but a small 
part of the area, it contains a very large part of the population and wealth. The soil 
is light, porous, sandy and unproductive for cereals; Irish potatoes and all kinds of 
fruits grow well ; tobacco, corn and wheat, except on the best soils, make a poor return. 
Wild grasses are abundant, and stock-raising is a leading and profitable pursuit of the 
people. This county may be taken as a type of all the counties on the Table-land ; lands 
are very cheap, down as low as one dollar per acre. Coal crops out along ravines in 
many places, and is said to be at Davis' fifteen feet and at Andrews eigiiteen feet in 
thickness. Iron ore exists in the head of Sequatchie Valley. Population in 1870, 
3,461, of which only 98 were colored. Acres assessed, 877,093 ; valued at $600,786; 
total taxable property, $614,009. 



DAVIDSON COUNTY. 

Organized 1783. County-seat, Nashville — It contains 550 square miles, and lies in the 
Central Basin. The Cumberland river with eight convolutions, passes through the 
county from east to west, dividing it into two parts nearly equal. The surface configura- 
tion of the county is, for the most part, gently rolling, swelling in places to considerable 
heights, and forming rounded flat hills, or mamillary protuberances, and occasionally 
long ridges from which shoot out subordinate ones more or less at right angles. Tliere 
are three of these main ridges : 1st. The Paradise Eidge, in the north-western part of 
the county, at the heads of White's, Mansker's and Marrowbone creeks. This ridge 
forms the edge of the Highland Kim. 2d. The Harpeth Eidge, which is the water-shed 
between the Cumberland and Harpeth rivers. 3d. The ridge dividing the Harpeth 
from Little Harpeth. In addition to these, or rather subordinate to them, are many in- 
ferior ridges between the streams, which also have spurs jutting out from them to such 
an extent as to give to the surface a very rough and broken appearance. Especially is 
this the case in the north-western part of the county. The part of the county south of 
the Cumberland is drained by Eichland creek. Brown's creek, Mill creek. Little Har- 
peth, Stone's river and Stoner's creek. The part north of Cumberland is drained by 
White's creek, Mansker's creek and Dry creek. The soil south of the Cumberland i^ 
very fertile and produces Avell all the crops of the latitude ; blue-grass grows spontan- 
eously and luxuriantly ; the land north of the Cumberland is moderately fertile, with 
many limestone rocks cropping out and approaching the surface. Stock-raising is a 
leading bi-anch of husbandry and especially the breeding of blooded liorses ; since the 
begiujiing of the century the horses of this county have been famous; the cattle are of a 
high order of grades; dairy farming is carried on to a considerable extent; fruits grow 
well and find a ready market ; mills are abundant ; twelve macadamized roads enter 
Nashville and six railroads; Cumberland river is navigable for about nine months in 
the year. Considering the advantages of the county land is very cheap ; good farms 
well improved, four or five miles from Nashville can be bought for thirty or forty dol- 
lars per acre ; in the north-western part of the county land may be bought at two and 
three dollars per acre; building stone is abundant. The State capitol is one of the- 
most correct buildings on the continent. The public schools are among the best and 
most successful in America ; Vanderbilt University, the University of Nashville, 
Ward's Seminary, St. Cecilia's Academy, Fisk University and Tennessee College, 
are all located within or near the city limits. The wholesale trade of Nashville amounts 
to over $51,000,000 annually. Cotton, tobacco, flour, corn and peanuts are the staple 
articles of traffic. The other towns in the county are Edgefield, Madison, Edgefield 
Junction, Goodletsville, McWhirtersville, Brentwood, Bellevue, besides numerous small 
villages. Population in 1870, 62,897, of which 25,412 were colored. Acres assessed, 
305,244; vahied at $8,855,160; total taxable property, $26,683,765. Nashville has a 
population of about 40,000. 



DICKSON COUNTY. 
ORGAinczED 1803. County-seat, Charlotte — Population 1870, 9,340, of these 1,677 were 
colored. Acres assessed in 1873, 291,623 ; valued at $1,077,460 ; total value of tax- 
able property, $1,232,543. This county is situated on the Highland Eim ; its surface 
is mainly high Table-land, cut, or gashed by numerous creek valleys ; the soil is sili- 



•6o Resources of Tennessee. 

ceous and calcareous, moderately fertile, and grows tobacco, corn, wheat, oats, rye, pota- 
toes, peanuts and fruits in remunerative quantities. Many fine farms lie in the creek 
and river basins. The principal streams in the county are Harpeth river and its tribu- 
taries Jones' creek and Turnbull creek ; Yellow creek, Barton's creek, tributaries of the 
Cumberland ; Pine creek, Cedar creek and Blue creek, tributaries of Duck river. Im- 
proved tillable lands are worth from six to ten dollars per acre ; creek and river bot- 
tom farms from twenty to thirty dollars ; unimproved lands from two to five dollars. 
Ii-on ore is abundant and two furnaces are in operation. The Nashville and North- 
western Eailroad passes through the county, and the Cumberland river forms its north- 
eastern boundary. Charlotte has a population of about 300. Many Pennsylvaniana 
have settled in the county. 



deKalb county. 

Organized 1837. Couniy-smt, Smithville — About two-thirds of the county lies on the 
Highland Eim, the remainder being iu the Central Basin, and in the valleys. The 
Highlands occupy the eastern and northern part of the county. The surface is gently 
undulating, the beds of the streams, except near the escarpment, being depressed but 
little below the general level. The western part of the county embraces several valleys 
of considerable size and great agricultural value, separated from each other by irregular 
ranges of hills, and there are isolated peaks and short ridges, some of which mount up 
to a level with the Highlands. These ridges are often connected with spurs jutting out 
from the serrated escarpment of the Eim-lands, and enclose between them valleys of 
greater or less size, which are the ramifications of the Basin. The soil in the Highlands 
is siliceous, and when resting upon a red clay sub-soil is very fertile. There are some 
areas of boggy land overgrown with whortleberry bushes, which, when drained, make 
excellent meadows. The timber of the Highland is scraggy black jack, hickory, and 
post oak. The price of improved land in this part varies from $2.50 to $6 ; in the val- 
leys from $10 to $50. Underlying all the valleys and extending about half way up the 
hills, is found the limestone common to all the Central Basin. The timber of the hill- 
sides is very dense and consists of poplar, beech, sugar maple, ash, linn and walnut. 
There are many lumbering mills. The leading farm products are corn, wheat, tobacco, 
rye, sorghum, barley and cotton; blue-grass grows spontaneously in the valleys and on 
tlae limestone hills ; stock-raising is by far the most profitable branch of farming ; fruit 
is grown in considerable quantities, dried and sent to market. The county is well 
watered by Caney Fork and its tributaries. Iron ore is found on both sides of Caney 
river in workable quantities. Population in 1870, 11,425, of these 1,104 were colored. 
Acres assessed, 192,726 ; valued at $1,510,563 ; total taxable property, $1,960,031. 
Want of transportation is the greatest drawback to the county. 



FENTEESS COUNTY. 

Orgaistized 1823. County-seat, Jamestown — A county on the Cumberland Table-land, 
and on the north-east border of Middle Tennessee ; spurs shoot out from the Table- 
land, upon which two-thirds of the county rests ; towards the north-west, between these 
lie many fertile limestone coves and valleys. Taki)ig the valleys altogether as one divi- 
sion of the countj"-, about two-thirds of its area is clierty upland, while the other third is 
about equally divided between the coves and bottoms. The valley of Wolf river is one 
of the finest in the State, extending out in one place to the width of ten mil«s. All the 
south-eastern part of the county lies on the Table-land, and has the sandstone soil, and 
level or slightly undulating surface peculiar to that division of the State. Valley farms 
range from five to twenty dollars per acre, except the valley of the Wolf, where some 
farms would bring $100 per acre ; improved mountain land is worth from fifty cents to 
ten dollars per acre ; unimproved lands where there is no dispute about the title, range 
from twenty-five cents to one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. Timber and crops 
same as in DeKalb ; stock is raised extensively ; highway pasturage is excellent 
and extensive ; no railroads. The Table-land part belongs to the Cumberland coal 
fields and many extensive banks have been opened. Iron ore of good quality exists; 
water-power is excellent. Population in 1870, 4,717, of which only 170 were colored. 
Acres assessed, 355,457 : valued at $392,267 : the whole value of taxable property in 
1873, was $413,658. 



Middle Tennessee. 6r 

FEANKLIN COUNTY. 
Oeganiked 1807. County-seat, Winchester — A county of Middle Tennessee, adjoining 
the Cumberland Table-land, a small portion, indeed, probably one-fifth, resting upon it. 
This county has a great variety of soils extending in belts from north-east to south-west. 
First, on the south-east is the mountain land with sandstone soil ; productions and 
timber same as in Cumberland county. Second, running along the base of the moun- 
tain is a wide belt of red lands, furnishing a fine agricultural region ; soil calcareous, 
fertile and extremely durable ; products — corn, wheat, oats and hay. Next come the 
fine river lands of the Elk which flows through the county from north-east to south- 
west ; west of the river lie the " barrens," which do not dift'er in appearance, in produc- 
tions or in timber from the same quality of land described in Coffee county ; the woods 
are usually open and furnish a luxuriant range for cattle in spring and early summer. 
Northern immigrants are succeeding upon this soil with fruits and small grain. No 
county is better watered than Franklin ; the Elk, which is the arterial current of the 
county has numerous tributaries ; many of them furnish superb water-power. There 
are two cotton factories in operation in this county. Lands vary widely in price ; there 
are lands in Franklin county that cannot be bought for fifty dollars per acre, while there 
are others that can be bought for two dollars per acre — so great is the difference in the 
soil and location. Coal is found in workable quantities in that portion of the county 
on the Table-land. Fine beds of marble beautifully variegated exist, and are worked 
to some extent. The Nashville and Chattanooga E-ailroad passes through the heart 
of the county ; the Sewanee company has a railroad passing from Tracy City, in 
Grundy county, to Cowan ; the Winchester and Alabama Eailroad connects Decherd 
with Fayetteville, the county-seat of Lincoln. Sewanee, the site of the University of the 
South, is on a spur of the Cumberland Table-land. Winchester, the county-seat, is on 
the Boiling Fork of Elk, and is sun-ounded by a fertile region. It is distinguished for 
the number and excellence of its female schools, and for the intelligence of its citizens. 
Population of the county in 1870, was white, 11,998 ; colored, 2,972 ; total, 14,970. 
Acres assessed in 1873,277,479; valued at $1,557,230; total value of taxable prop- 
erty, $2, 081,318. 



GILES COUNTY. 

OegAjSTIzed 1809. County-seat, Pulaski — Population in 1870, 32,413, of this 12,738 
were colored. Acres assessed in 1873, 370,430; valued at $5,411,041; the whole value 
of taxable property, $7,616,921. The topography of Giles county may be best under- 
stood by considering the entire area to have been once an unbroken table-land as high 
as the tops of the leading ridges, and that out of the leading ridges, and that out of this 
original table land the streams have since cut their deep valleys. This has caused the 
county to be made up of very many winding valleys, and high, often flat-topped, divid- 
ing ridges. Eichland creek, a tributary of Elk river, is the most important stream, 
thbugh not the largest in the county ; it divides the county longitudinally, noi'th and 
south, into two neai'ly equal portions; the stream has a large, wide valley which can- 
not be excelled, if equalled in the State for fine farming lands ; Eichland has also many 
tributaries, each with its fertile valleys ; Elk river flows across the south-eastern corner 
of the county, receiving in its course many creeks and branches ; Sugar creek is in the 
aouth-western corner ; all these have deeply set and rich valleys ; the number of creeks, 
large and small, is very great, so that the table-land mentioned above has been very 
thoroughly dissected by the waters. The northern boundary of the county lies on Elk 
Bidge, an important arm of the Highlands ; this conspicuous ridge runs nearly east 
and west, dividing the waters of the Elk from those of Cuck river, and cutting ofi" the 
portion of the Central Basin of Middle Tennessee lying in Lincoln and Giles. The 
soils in the river basins and those in the part of the county lying in the Central Basin, 
are among the most fertile in the State. The western part of the county has thin soils 
and is on the Highland Eim ; this region is well adapted to fruit and wheat; cotton is the 
money crop in the best portions of the county ; wheat, corn, oats and hay- are raised in 
considerable quantities. In 1870, Giles grew a larger amount of corn than any county 
in the State. Grapes are extensively cultivated, and in 1872, 25,000 gallons of wine 
were made in the county. Much attention is paid to the raising of fine stock. The best 
farms are worth from forty to sixty dollars per acre ; those on the Highlands sell from 
five to ten dollars ; unimproved land about half price. The Nashville and Decatur 
Eailroad passes through the center of the county from north to south. Pulaski has a 
population of over 2,000. 



6? Resources of Tennessee. 

GEUNDY COUNTY. 

Organized 1844. County-seat, Tracy Oity — It embraces 324 square miles, and had a 
population according to the last census of 3,250, of which or.ly 137 were colored. It is 
one of eastern counties of Middle Tennessee, and more than lialf of it rests upon the 
Cumberland Table-land. Tlie part of the county that lies upon tlie Table-land is gen- 
erally flat, but deeply gashed by the valleys of streams ; sometimes, also, as near Tracy 
City^ Icnobs rise several hundred feet above the general surface. The head waters of 
Collins, Sequatchie and Elk rivers are also in this county. Many of the streams on the 
top of the Table-land have sufficient volume for milling purposes, such as the Firy Giz- 
zard and Fire Scald. These mountain streams are very rapid, having perpendicular 
falls sometimes of thirty or more feet, especially where they begin to descend into the 
valleys. The soil on the Table-land is of the same character is that described on pages 
12 and 13 of this pamphlet. In the coves and valleys vepy fertile limestone soils prevail. 
There is no finer region for fruit than the mountain lands of this county; grapes and 
apples do remarkable well. A considerable colony of Swiss have settled in this county 
and are making commendable progress in agriculture. On the low lands and in the coves 
there is an abundance of fine yellow poplar, black walnut, sugar tree, white and black 
oak, and on the top of the mountain there are two kinds of timber of great value — the 
yellow pine in large quantites, and chestnut oak, which grows in great abundance, the 
bark of which is much sought after by tanners. Besides, the top of the mountain is 
better supplied with tie timber than any part of the State accessible by railroad. The 
highway pasturage is very extensive and excellent, and the native wild grasses furnish 
one of the great sources of wealth to the county. Cattle can be fattened at almost a 
nominal cost. Wild lands are worth from one to three dollars per acre ; improved 
lands on the mountain about double ; in the valleys from ten to thirty dollars. A rail- 
road runs from Tracy City to Cowan, in Franklin county, connecting there with the 
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. Coal is extensively mined; The Tennessee Coal 
and Eailroad Company employs about 450 hands, and ships from 235,000 to 350,000 
bushels of coal per month. Beersheba Springs is a favorite summer resort. 



HICKMAN COUNTY. 

Organized 1807. County-seat, Centerville — This is one the counties of the Highland 
Rim. Population in 1870, 9,856, of which 1,471 were colored ; number of acres assessed 
in 1873, 359.551 ; valued at $1,465,638 ; total taxable property, $1,794,307. Duck river 
flows in a westerly direction entirely through the county; its tributaries Sugar creek, 
Beaver Dam, Piney, Swan, Lick creek and Leatherwood, together with Cane creek a 
confluent of Bufi"alo river, supply every part of the county with living water. The sur- 
face of the county is usually broken, and composed of high rolling ridges and deep 
3-avines, pointing generally toward the streams, some level open barrens lie in the north- 
ern part of the county ; the ridges are sterile and unproductive ; soil siliceous, rocky 
and thin, but spots occur upon which grow a rank, " barren " grass, that sustains stock 
nine months in the year. The timber of the ridges is white oak, chestnut oak, red oak, 
black oak, hickory and chestnut; in the valleys poplar, beech, maple, oak, black wal- 
nut, boxelder, butternut and red bud prevail. Some rich areas of chocolate colored soil, 
such as occur in Montgomery county are found ; this character of soil is greatly sur- 
perior for the growth of clover ; the price of such land improved, varies from fifteen to 
fifty dollars per acre ; bottomlands about the same ; barren lands and rolling ridges 
from fifty cents to five dollars. The productions are corn, wheat, peanuts, oats and po- 
tatoes ; peanuts is the staple money crop, as many as 250,000 bushels having been pro- 
duced in a single year. Iron ore is very abundant and rich. Mineral springs are quite 
common. A large cotton mill is in operation at Pinewood, which makes 1,800 yards of 
cloth daily. There is no railroad in the county, though the Duck Eiver Valley Eail- 
road has been surveyed and is in course of construction. 



HOUSTON COUNTY. 

Organized 1871. County-seat, Arlington — On the Memphis and Louisville Eailroad. 
This county lies between the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, on the Highland Eim. 
:±he surface is high and rolling, and the soil flinty and poor on the ridges. The county ia 



Middle Tennessee. 63 

traversed by a high, bold ridge running north and south, known as Tennessee Eidge ; it 
is the water-shed between the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, and rises 250 to 400 
feet above the general level of the county. From the western edge of this prominent 
ridge numerous affluents of the Tennessee river take their rise ; east of the Tennessee 
Eidge, and tributary to the Cumberland, are Well's creek and Guices' creek ; Yellow 
creek, rising in Dickson county, passes through the north-eastern corner of Houston, 
and empties into the Cunnberland within the limits of Montgomery county. The lands 
have, for the most part, sub-soils of tenacious clay, with a gravelly, cherty mass under- 
lying ; wheat, corn, tobacco, potatoes, oats, etc., grow well ; but the land is better 
•adapted to the growing of grasses than any other crop; herds-grass and clover grow ad- 
mirably on the rolling lands, while timothy is becoming a favorite crop with those who 
own bottom lands ; these bottom lands are of marvelous fertility. There is no better 
fruit land in the State than the high ridges in this county. Tennessee is noted for the 
■certainty with which fruit trees bear upon it; peach orchards upon this ridge have not 
failed in thirty years. Ginseng is abundant. The lands on Well's creek and Cumber- 
land river are among the best in the State. Considerable iron ore exists; fire clay is 
also found near Old Byron Forge. Lands are very cheap ; good farms can be bought 
for ten or fifteen dollars per acre ; river farms for about twenty-five. The county has 
ample facilities for transportation by the Cumberland river, the Tennessee and the 
Memphis and Louisville Eailroad that connects the two. Erin is the principal town, 
lying on the railroad about the center of the county. Population about 6,000 ; acres 
•assessed, 179,872 ; valued at $449,279 ; total value of taxable property, $512,100. 



HUMPHEEYS COUNTY. 

ORaANiZED 1810. County-seat, Waverley — This county rests mainly upon the western 
•«dge of the Highland Eim ; a portion also in the Western Valley, (see Natural Divi- 
sions, page 5.) The surface of the county is moderately uneven and the soil generous; 
the bottom lands on tlie Tennessee, Duck and Buffalo are rich, alluvial soils ; most all 
the cereals are grown with profit, corn in particular, the average yield being about fifty 
bushels per acre; the Buffalo bottom is also well adapted to the growth of cotton; pea- 
nuts ai-e the principal product of tiie county, the amount produced in 1872 being 250,000 
bushels, and the average price one dollar per busliei ; cotton is also grown to some extent ; 
fruit grows well; every variety of timber occurs excej^t jjine; staves are largely ship- 
ped. The county is v/ell supplied with water-power. Big Botton, one of the most noted 
bottoms in Middle Tennessee, lies on lower Duck Eiver, it extends for fifteen or twenty 
miles above its mouth and contains 17,508 acres. Tlie range in price of lands is very 
great in this county, being from fifty cents for higli, j^oor ridges, to $100 for the best 
bottoms per acre. The Tennessee river and Nashville and Northwestern Eailroad fur- 
nish the means of outlet. Manufactories of wood and woolen goods are in operation ; 
iron ore is abundant. Population, 9,326, of which 1,295 are colored. Acres assessed, 
•322,131 ; valued at $1,225,508 ; total taxable property, $1,394,935. 



JACKSON COUNTY. 
Organized 1801. County-seat, Gainesboro — Population in 1870, 12,583, of this only 
767 were colored. Since that period a j)ortion of the county has been taken off to form 
Clay. Acres assessed in 1873,175,162; valued at $968,379; total value of taxable 

firoperty, $1,123,915. Topographically, this county is very much like Clay ; Cumber- 
and river traverses it and tlie high country on both sides of the river belongs to the 
Highland Eim ; the valleys are cut down to the formation of the Central Basin ; the 
county is well watered by the Cumberland and its tributaries ; the soil in the valleys and 
dissected ridges is very fertile ; the county is heavily timbered with poplar, hickory, 
oak, beech, etc. Productions — corn, wheat, oats, tobacco and the grasses. The best 
farms on the Cumberland are worth from twenty to fifty dollars per acre ; improved 
places on the uplands may be bought for five to ten dollars. Cumberland river fur- 
nishes the only outlet to market. 

LA'VVEENCE COUNTY. 
Okganized 1817. County-seat, Lawrenceburg — Belonging to the soutnern tier of coun- 
ties of Middle Tennessee. Population in 1870, 7 036 — 625 of which were colored. Acres 



64 Resources of Tennessee. 

assessed, 343,743; valued at $970,526; total value of taxable property, $1,265,580. 
Lawrence is one of the counties of the Highland Eim and may be taken as a tyye of 
that division ; it is an elevated plateau rising 1,000 feet above the sea, gashed by fre- 
quent streams, the bottoms iipon which are very fertile ; spots of chocolate colored soile 
of hundreds of acres in extent occur, which are as valuable as the creek bottoms ; soil of 
the higher lands with the exception named is siliceous, thin and unproductive, except 
for fruits, where the sub-soil is a red clay and tenacious, the lands are rich, and when 
worn easily reclaimed. Timber on the uplands: chestnut, red oak, post oak and 
blackjack ; the woods are open and " barren " grass abundant and nutritious. Produc- 
tions : wheat, oats, barley, millet and buckwheat, corn and cotton ; a small quantity d 
tobacco is raised ; fruits are very prolific in their yield. Land is in more active demand 
than in almost any county in the State, owing to the large German immigration and to the 
prospects of building a railroad from Knoxville to Memphis, to pass through the county. 
Good farms may be bought for twenty dollars per acre. The water-power is the 
best in the State, or at least it has been utilized to a larger extent. Upon Shoal creek 
and its tributaries live cotton factories are in operation, and on Little Buftalo, sixteen 
miles from Lawrenceburg is another, running in the aggregate 6,310 spindles and 118 
looms, and giving employment to 310 operatives. The oounty is rich in iron ore ; mar- 
ble is also abundant and of a very beautiful variety. 



LEWIS COUNTY. 

Okganized 1844. (Jounty-seat, Newburg — It contains about 350 square miles, and is 
one of the counties of the Highland Eim. For agricultural purposes it is probably the 
poorest county in Middle Tennessee. Only about 9,168 acres out of 225,920 are in culti- 
vation, while the number asssessed for taxation is only 120,090, or about one-half of the 
actual number in the county; value of the land assessed, $218,189, and the total tax- 
able property amounts to $230,880. Population in 1870, 1,986, which included 188 col- 
ored persons. Topographically, Lewis county is a high, level plateau, higher than the 
surrounding counties, and gashed by frequent streams that take their rise in the county, 
and flow from it to nearly every point of the compass. Near the streams, and beyond 
the immediate bottoms, the land is ridgy, sterile in character and covered with a dense 
growth of red oak, cliestnut, and a tough variety of poplar. This quality of land is in 
no demand, and thousands of acres may be bought at prices varying from fifty cents to 
two dollars per acre ; a mile or two out from the streams the 1 ands become flat and 
open, and are covered, for the most part, with scraggy blackjacks and '))arren" grass, which 
furnishes good grazing from April to November. The soil upon the.-^e lands is thin, and 
to some degree porous and leachy; the bottom lands are very productive and command 
a high price, ranging from twenty to thirty dollars per acre. The county is well 
watered, fifteen streams either take their rise in the county or pass through it. Iron ore 
is plentiful and one furnace is in operation making charcoal iron. 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 

Obganized 1809. Gounty-aeat, Fayettevilk — Population, 28,050, of which 5,953 are- 
colored. Lies almost wholly within the Central Basin and contains about 317,079 acres ; 
valued at $4,087,394 ; total value of taxable property, $5,178,933. Surface diversified 
by numerous ridges and valleys; Elk river divides the county into nearly equal parts, 
and has some fourteen tributary creeks within the county. The rock if; mainly 
limestone. The soil excepting a strip on the Alabama line, about eight miles 
wide, which is on the Highlands is fertile ; that of Elk river and Cane creek valleys 
very rich, usually producing near 1,000 pounds seed cotton to the acre. The timber is 
maple, linn, hickory, black locust, walnut, beech and some cedar in the Central Basin 
part of the county ; chestnut and oaks on the Highlands. Corn is generiiU}^ fine ; wheat 
satisfactory ; millet abundant, and on the sunny slopes of the knobs, blue-grass pastur- 
age the year round ; stock-raising remunerative. 3,393 farms, about one-third between 
twenty to thirty acres; price of land ranges from three dollars per acre for the flat up- 
lands to fifty dollars for the valleys ; little sold — rents easily. This county has more cap- 
ital in live stock than any other in the State. Fayetteville has a population of 1,800, 
and is situated near the junction of Norris creek with Elk river ; it is terminus of the 



Middle Tennessee. 65 

Winchester and Alabama Eailroad. Molino, Mulberry, Petersburg and Oregon are all 
thriving villages. Some curious antiquites in the shape of earthworks are found near 
Fayetteville. 



MACON COUNTY. 

Oegakized 1842. County -seat, Lafayette — This county, except small parts of the val- 
leys of Goose creek and Dixon's creek, near the southern boundary, lies wholly on the 
Highland Eim ; it is a border county, bounded by Kentucky on the north. From the 
escarpment of the Kim, near the southern boundary towards the north there is a good 
stretch of level and gently rolling country ; south of this escarpment or " ridge," the 
Highlands break off in steep declivities which run down into deep valleys, where the 
rock, soil, timber and productions indicate a different formation ; this ridge is the water- 
shed — the streams flowing in opposite directions from it ; the soil on the Highland is 
siliceous, like that in Lawrence county ; the portion of the county south of the ridge is 
in the Central Basin and is very fertile, being calcareous, light and loamy. Timber on 
the elevated portions of the county consists of chestnut, poplar, hickory, post oak and 
white oak ; on the cherty hillsides and in the limestone valleys, sugar maple, beech, 
black walnut, hickory, sweet gum, large oaks and linn. Improved farms on the High- 
lands range from eight to twenty dollars ; unimproved, five dollars ; farms south of the 
*' ridge " are worth from twenty-five to forty dollars per acre. The leading crops, in the 
order of their value, are corn, tobacco, wheat, oats and potatoes. There were produced 
in 1870, 256,483 bushels of corn, 950,768 pounds of tobacco, 30,525 bushels of wheat, 60,- 
756 bushels of oats, 9,441 bushels of Irish, and 9,340 bushels of sweet potatoes. Orchards 
succeed well in all parts of the county. Lafayette is the only town ; no railroads in the 
county and no navigable streams ; mineral springs are numerous. Population in 1870, 
6,633, of which 791 were colored. Acres assessed in 1873 — 176,223; valued at : 
647 ; total taxable property, $987,802. ' 



MAESHALL COUNTY. 

Organized 1836. County-seat, Lewisburg — Population, 18,348, a fourth of which is 
colored. Acres assessed, 227,765 ; valued at $3,771,873 ; total value of property, $4,- 
625,106. This county is in the Great Central Basin, and is not surpassed in natural 
agricultural advantages by any county in the State. Duck river passes nearly through 
the center of the county from east to west, and has numerous tributaries flowing into it 
from the north and south. Kunning east and west through the southern edge of the 
county is Elk Kidge, wliieh separates the waters of the Elk and Duck rivers. North of 
Elk Eidge the lands are more level, though not so well adapted to the growth of cotton ; 
as those south ; corn, small grain, and all the grasses, potatoes — both sweet and Irish 
yield abundantly. On the projecting spurs of Elk Eidge the soil is light, porous, warm 
and generous ; north of Duck river the lands are very level and fertile, and have a more 
reddish hue than elsewhere in the oounty; in this portion cedar is almost entirely used 
for fences. Timber and productions sanre at in Giles, except that there are in Mar- 
shall large cedar forests, jDerhaps the most valuable in the State. Lands are very high, 
good farms well improved, selling for from forty to sixty dollars per acre. Much at- 
tention is paid to the raising of stock, especially in the Connersville district, where blue- 
grass grows luxuriantly. 



MAUEY COUNTY. 

Oeganized 1807. County-seat, Columbia — Number of acres 366,910, exclusive of town 
lots; valued at $7,650,478 ; total taxable property, $11,109,144. In point of country 
wealth Maury ranks first in the State. An orographic view of the county would present 
the picture of a section of a river valley running almost due east and west, with the dip 
to the west, and fringed to the north and south by smaller valleys which furrow the 
sides of irregular ranges of knobs or hills that lie along the northern and southern 
boundaries of the county. To the west, these hills broaden out into the uplands known 
as the "barrens" forming a part of the Highland Eim. The bed of this valley is occu- 
pied by Duck river, which flows through the whole extent of the county, dividing it al- 
most equally. This river drains the entire county ; all other streams in the county 

5 



66 Resources of Tennessee. 

flow into it. It is not navigable, though it is floatable through the entire extent of the 
county, and was, in former years, much used for the transportation of corn and lumber, 
principally cedar. Timber — characteristic of the Central Basin and same as in Mar- 
shall, Giles, Bedford, etc. There are four leading divisions of lands, the "barrens," the 
creek bottoms, the cedar lands, and the rich limestone and clay soil, the latter constitu- 
ting the bulk of the county. Probably the finest farming lands in the State and the 
best improved are west of Columbia, between the Little Bigbee and Big Bigbee creeks, 
including the region around Mount Pleasant. With such variations in quality, land 
ranges from $100 per acre for small, highly improved places, in good neighborhoods, 
down to one dollar for wild lands in the "barrens," plenty of which can be had at that 
price. It is hard to give an idea, but excellent places, with tolerably good improve- 
ments, and conveniently situated, have sold for thirty-five to forty dollars per acre, and 
fair lands near them at twenty and twenty-five dollars, on usual time. The average 
yields on the better class of soils is about, corn, 30 bushels ; wheat, 13 bushels ; cotton, 
600 pounds (seed) ; tobacco, 900 to 1,000 pouhds ; very little tobacco or peanuts are 
grown ; hay, 1^- tons, though it is rarely weighed or sold. On the poorer class of soils 
not over two-thirds of this, perhaps not over one-half. The barrens and cedar lands are 
meant by this class. There is not one acre in forty or fifty actually thrown out of culti- 
vation and gone to waste from exhaustion. It should be borne in mind that with high 
farming and good culture, the yield of the various crops might be increased two or 
three times what it is under the slipshod farming practiced all over the State. There 
are twenty-three towns and villages, which have the usual facilities of stores, schools 
and churches. Columbia is noted as a center of refinement and culture. In point of 
wealth Maury stands the third in the State, Shelby being first, and Davidson second. It 
had a population, by the census of 1870, of 36,289, of which 16,265 were colored. 
Number of polls 4,728, number of voters 6,521, of whom 2,405 are colored. 



MONTGOMEEY COUNTY. 

Organized 1796. County-seat, Clarksvilk — Population in 1870 — 24,847, including 
11,670 colored. Acres assessed, 312,686; valued at $3,341,880; total taxable prop- 
erty, $5,716,025. This is one of the counties of the Highland Eim, and belongs to the 
northern tier of counties of Middle Tennessee. The general surface of the county is un- 
dulating, with a mean elevation of 500 feet above the sea. The county is well watered 
by the Cumberland and its tributaries, the chief of which is Ked river, which flows east 
and west thi-ough the entire half of the county. The soils are strong and durable. 
They produce well and are easily reclaimed after exhaustion. Resting upon a bed of 
red clay with layers of interstratified chert, they have the capacity of retaining moist- 
ure without sufiering from a want of drainage. Calcareous and siliceous, they combine 
the strength of the one with the friableness of the other. Though not so rich generally 
in the elements of plant food as those in the Central Basin, they are more reliable for the 
production of crops. South of the Cumberland the land is hilly and broken, and the 
soil thin ; south of Eed river, though the country is considerably broken the soil is fer- 
tile ; near the southern limits the lands are flat and poor ; north of the Cumberland and 
Eed rivers there is a magnificent farming region. Timber south of the Cumberland and 
Eed rivers is very fine and consists of oak, poplar, hickory, walnut, etc. In the northern 
part of the county though there are some areas well timbered, yet it is not so abundant 
or valuable as in the other divisions mentioned, though the soil is excellent. Produc- 
tions are corn, wheat, oats, hay, tobacco, clover and potatoes. The average amount of 
tobacco grown annually in the county is 3,500 hogsheads, or about 5,000,000 pounds, or 
one-fourth of all that is raised in the State. Sometimes the crop reaches 5,000 hogs- 
heads. The average yield per acre is 850 pounds, though the best soils often produce 
1,000, 1,200, and sometimes more. It is noted for its tine quality. There is probably 
no land in the State better adapted to wheat than the best uplands in Montgomery. 
The siliceous soils, strongly impregnated with lime, give strengtli to the straw while 
they also give plumpness to the berry. Under the best system of tillage the yield often 
reaches thirty bushels per acre, and some few farmers have raised forty. In proportion 
to their productive capacity, there are no cheaper lands in the State, especially when 
the admirable means of transportation is taken into consideration. Good farms, well 
improved, can be bought for twenty-five and thirty dollars per acre ; medium twenty to 
twenty-five ; the river bottom farms from thirty to forty. The Louisville and Memphis 



Middle Tennessee e.^ 

Kailroad runs diagonally through the county and intersects tliP Sf T m-,;. „ j o xi. . 

■ernEailroad at Guthrie Kentucly, near the Jtate^l^^^^^^^^^^ 

Evansville Louisville, Cincinnati and Memphis within a few hours rnnTi!!-®' 

MOOEE COUNTY. 

ravines, some of the latter having a depth of 300 to 400 ?eet he^rt^lUn^%^ei 
n ages are spurs which shoot out into the valleys of the Elk and MnlL£f a .5 -^ 
mbo.aries, the valleys constituting a part of tL broken s^^thl SSf "he*^T 

o. Cffi.hlt? r*'^"^/.? '^ ^^- ^}^ ^^^^'- ^b«"t one-half S the county^S 
.., OP the Highland Eim, and the remainder in the Central Basin. These ridS aS 
:r lie on the slopes and often to their very summits. Elk Eidge rans eas? a„l 
> . b.:,vveen Duck and Elk rivers. It is narrow and irregular but verHroductive 
a ma.t as^nich so as bottom and. This ridge is a type of the others. TweSy bushS 
<)f wheat and chiry bushels of corn are the average products of the valWs The flat 
lands hardly pir lor cultivation except for fruit and tobacco. The county?s well tir^- 
bered andwatere\d; Kn. river, Mulberry and Hurricane, all furnish mill siTeT C 
proved places rango from s.x to forty dollars per acre. La.ge quantities of "LincoTn" 
€ounty" Whiskey ai ^m ado in this county. J^i-nLom 

OVEETON COUNTY. 
Organized 1806. Qmnty-Jeat, iimrajrstoJi— Population in 1870—11 297 of which "^"^n 
were colored, but .mce th^ time nearly a third of the county has been cut off tTform 
the new county of Clay. Acres assessed m 1873—254,618 • valued at t7R7 9fiQ V +^+ i 
value of taxable property, $828,465. The south-east corner' of thircountv ^esfs u^^^^^ 
Cumberland Table^aiu;, and presents the characteristics common to tS^d^Ssionoah 
State Between the ea,i an.i west fork of Obey's river there is a rMge or ™very ir- 
regular m outline extcding northward for fifteen miles. This ridge is of the sameeir 
vation as the Tableland, but m places drops down to "terraces" or "benches" which oT 
cupy a large part of tlit comity; their elevation is al)out half of the Table-land ver' 
dant valleys and coves «estle between these spurs, which fringe the Table-land ' ThP 
soils are rich wherever '«iinestone appears above the terraces. The timber is dense and 
Jieavy; poplai-^ oak, shai-bark hickory, sugar maple, etc., are found in the rich soils 
The bench lands .- ,, v. toqi the vicinity of limestone are leachy and thin, and chestnut 
trees, oaks etc., prev.,i. JJalt the lands are almost worthless except for paiura^e Sn 
improved lands range in price from ten cents to ten dollars; ten dollars is perhan's the 
average, and twenty dollars per acre is perhaps the highest limit for farms that are 
for sale. The leadii g ciops in the order of their importance, are corn, wheat tobacco 
oate, rye, cotton, poato,^ and turnips. The county is very well watered by Obey's river 
and its tributary V est Fc ;k and Eoaring river, a confluent of the Cumberland Coal 
IS found near Ober s river. Petroleum has been found in large quantities. 

PEEEY COUNTY. 
OEftANizyB 1821. County-seal, iiwden— Population m 1870—6,925 of which 479 
ZtrTv I 235 085' ^^^7,^^^' 220,139 : valued at $1,011,850; tot^l v^lue of taxabl^ 
pioperty^J,i3o,085 The topography of this county is beautiful, from the regularity 
arjd gre>t number of ridges. Buffalo Eidge, west of Buffalo river, rises to the hSht S 
700fee<above tide water, and 300 feet above the adjacent valleys. It taverses the 
county/ongitudinally north and south throughout its entire extentf and sends out west! 
war(^eight subordinate ridges, nearly to the Tennessee river, a distance of nine miles 



68 Resources of Tennessee. 

Between these various ridges, streams of pure sparkling water flow in parallel lines, an(J 
-empty into the Tennessee river. On the eastern side of Buffalo Ridge are parallel spurs^ 
about one mile in length, and the troughs which they form convey the waters from the 
eastern slope into Buffalo Eiver. The portion of the county east of Buffalo river is also 
fluted with ridges and valleys. White oak, walnuts, black oaks and hickories of mag- 
nificent size, prevail upon all the slopes and in the bottoms ; chestnut oak is very abun- 
dant. The finest soils are in the bottoms ; dark in color, they are heavily charged with 
flinty quartzose gravel, sometimes comminuted until it approaches a coarse sand ; the 
soil is especially adapted to the cultivation of peanuts, and this crop, for a number of 
years, has been the principal staple of the county ; cotton, wheat, corn, oats and hay are 
also grown remuneratively. Improved farms range in price from fifteen to forty dollars 
per acre; unimproved good lands from three to ten ; ridge lands one dollar. Marble, 
hydraulic rock and iron ore are found in considerable quantities. Tennessee and Buf- 
falo rivers furnish the only outlets, the latter is not navigable for steamboats. 



PUTNAM COUNTY. 

Orgaot:zed 1842 Gounty-seat, Gookville — Population in 1870 — 8,698, only 63(.' ol wa'^ch, 
were colored. Acres assessed in 1873—216,525 ; valued at $790,150 ; total x%h)% of 
taxable property ,$890,712. It is the most irregular in outline of any c , ' tii©. 
State. East to west it extends a distance of forty miles, while its averag-* ^ot 

more than twelve. The eastern end, comprising about one-eight of its ■.,,,„, ,, the 
Cumberland Table-land. The east and west forks of Obey's river r' )vv iw.nh, dpring 
creek north-west, Fallingwater nearly west, Calf Killer river ■onth-wc.-jc^ :in,i just across 
the line, in Cumberland county, are the head springs of Emory, vAch ilo»V3 east into 
Clinch river, above Kingston. These streams, except the last, 'r ^eir descent fi-om this 
elevated plateau, have cut through the western escarpment, fo- ciing many deep ravines 
and sequestered valleys, with "towering ridges projecting betv.'ten. The scenery here is^ 
remarkable for its wildness and sublimity. As one approaches the central part of the 
county, the valleys become wider, and the ridges and spurs n n out into lower hills, or 
disappear entirely. This is the clay region, a broad belt of nhich extends along the 
•western base of the Table-land. This belt is about fourteen miles wide, and is the best 
^t of the county. Its surface is diversified with hill and dale, the beds of most ofj the 
streams being considerably below the general level of the countM.-}'. The county becomes 
more level and the lands less fertile towards the west, nriil the'part of the county desig- 
nated by the significant name "barrens" is reached. TJ?e Knrfa>^;e is generally level, ex- 
cept in the neighborhood of the streams, and the timb* ); is thin ;>nd of small size. The 
soil of the Table-land is described on page 12 ; that of the red clay belt on page 16 and 
that of the level flat lands on page 14. Lands are very eueapj ranging from fifty cents 
for unimproved mountain lands to fifty dollars for the bes«! improved stock farms. The 
leading field crops in the order of their importance are corn, >,obacco, vheat, oats hay,. 
potatoes, turnips, cotton, buckwheat and barley; clover imd the grasses grow wild. 
Water-power is excellent. Coal exists in abundance in the cas rrn part of the county. 
Extensive iron banks occur. 



EOBEETSON COUNTY. 

Obgaotzed 1796. Omnty-seat, Springfield— Poipnlation in 187v-— 16,166, of which. 
4,813 were colored ; number of voters in 1871, 3,112 ; acres of Ian? assessed in 1873, 
284,116; valued at $3,408,035 ; total value of taxable property, $4,?.16,117 ; number of 
polls, 2,436. Eobertson county reported in 1870, 140,641 acres of irarrcved land ; 139,- 
456 woodland, and 5,020 of other unimproved. The surface is generally broken, except 
near the Kentucky line, where it becomes a level plain. A small s'.np of level plateau 
land also bounds the southern and eastern borders. The middle belt rmning east and 
west is more broken, but is quite fertile. The county is watered by Eed Awer, Sul'phur 
Fork and other smaller streams. The St. Louis and Southeastern Ra'A^road passes 
through the county. Land ranges in price fi-om two to fifty dollars per jcre ; good 
farms can be bought for twenty-five dollars favorably located ; wild, unia pn-Yed lands, 
level and moderately fertile, may be bought for two and three doUars. Prod>:ci3 same 
as in Montgomery county. Whiskey-making is carried on to a larger extent t- ca iu an^r 
other county in the State. 



Middle Tennessee, 69 

EUTHEEFOED COUNTY. 

Organized 1804. County-seat, ilfM?/rees6oro— Population in 1870—33,289, of which 
there were colored, 16,478. Acres assessed in 1873 — 379,707 ; valued at $6;892,102 • 
total value of taxable property, $9,514,975. This county, one of the most noted in the 
State, occupies the geograpical center of the State and also the center of the great Cen- 
tral Basin. The soil is very fertile, and is of two colors, black and red. The sub-soil 
is a rich red clay. Cotton is the staple crop. Corn, wheat, potatoes, oats and the grasses 
all make remunerative yields. Prevailing timber is oak, hickory, cedar, poplar, walnut 
and beech. Many of the farms are fenced with cedar. First-class improved farming 
lands, without dwelling-houses, can be purchased at from twenty-five to sixty dollars 
per acre, depending entirely on the location ; with dwellings, add about one-half of 
the cost of the building to this price. Unimproved lands are worth as much as the im- 
proved, on account of the value of the timber. There are a great many farms in this 
county now that can be purchased, as the tendency is to cut up large plantations into 
small farms. _ The county is watered by the east and west forks of Stone's river, and 
other tributaries, which furnish ample water privileges. a|)ringg and ponds abound, and 
■stock-water except in very dry seasons is abundant. The capital of the county is mostly 
invested in agriculture, and there are but few portions of the South where better soil 
and a more intelligent people are found. The Nashville and Chattanooga Eailroad 
passes through the county. Eleven macadamized roads center at Murfreesboro. In 
-addition to Murfreesboro, the other towns are Eeadyville, Milton, Jefferson, Smyrna, 
Lavergne, (the last two on the railroad,) Versailles and Eagleville. 



SMITH COUNTY. 

Okganized 1799, County-seat, Cari^a^re— Population in 1870—14,994, of which there 
-were colored 3,536. Acres assessed in 1873—192,902 ; valued at $2,364,973 ; total 
•value of taxable property, $2,841,259. To one coming down the Cumberland river from 
Burksville, Kentucky, to Nashville, Smith is the first county fairly within the Central 
Basin. The surface is rolling and hilly. The county is remarkably well watered by 
the Cumberland and Caney Fork and their tributaries. Nearly all of these streams have 
wide and exceedingly fertile valleys. Corn, wheat, oats, rye, hay and tobacco are the 
principal crops cultivated, for all of which the soil is well adapted. Timothy, herds-grass 
and clover are the chief hay grasses, though a number, especially of tobapco farmers, 
still persist in the folly of sowing annual grasses for hay. Blue-grass does well. Every 
hill m the county might be covered with this beautiful and profitable grass. Stock- 
raising is carried on to a considerable extent and is profitable. Orchard-grass has done 
well in the few instances in which it has been tried. The most valuable timber is pop- 
lar, oak and black walnut. Poplar is the most abundant, and is used for lumber and 
shingles, and in that form has been exported in considerable amounts. Orchards have 
been extensively planted in the last few years. Lands range from six to sixty dollars 
per acre, according to improvements and location. This is said to be the best poor 
man's county in the State— the bottom being very fertile but not large enough to tempt 
the wealthy to want them for homes. 



STEWAET COUNTY. 

Orgai^ized 1803. County-seat, Dowr— Population in 1870—12,019, of which 2,700 
were colored,)since that period about one-third of county has been taken off to form the 
new county of Houston.) Acres assessed in 1873—257,042 : valued at $1,180,415 ; total 
taxable property, $1,524,379. Stewart county, like all the counties on the Highland 
Eim, has a high elevation above the sea, and is drained by frequent and rtmid streams. 
The Cumberland passes through the county. Between the Tennessee and the Cumber- 
land is an elevated ridge, called the Tennessee Eidge. This is the water-shed between 
the two streams. Numerous subordinate ridges shoot out from this main one, more or 
less parallel with each other, between which numerous streams descend on the west to 
the Tennessee, and on the east to the Cumberland. The region between the rivers is 
much broken. On the north-east side of the Cumberland the country is more level, and 
■eome rich areas are found remote from the streams. The surface of the country grows 
more level as one travels back from the river, until in the north-eastern part of the 



*jo Resources of Tennessee. 

couuty, it is prairie-like in its flatness, highly fertile, and unsurpassed by any portion of 
the B&ghland Bim in its attractions for the farmer and the advantages it offers to the 
industrious. The lands may be divided into mineral and agricultural. The mineral 
or iron lands are found on both sides of the Cumberland, extending to the Tennessee on 
the west, and cover fully one-thii-d of the county. For half a century Stewart county 
has been the center of the great iron interests of Middle Tennessee. Eidge lands be- 
tween the rivers are worth from three to five dollars per acre ; bottom lands, from five tO' 
fifteen dollars, according to improvements ; the flat, rich red lands near the Kentucky- 
line, from twenty to forty dollars. The productions and timber are about the same as 
in Montgomery county. The Cumberland has not less than sixteen tributaries in this 
county, and the Tennessee five, supplying the whole county with running water except 
the north-eastern portion, where, though the lands are the most valuable in the county,, 
running water is scarce. Several colonies have settled in this county. The Tennessee 
Eidge is heavily timbered, and lasj^ numbers of staves are made for foreign markets. 
Five furnaces are in operation making pig-iron. 



SUMNEE COUNTY. 

Organized 1786. Cmntxj-seat, Oallatin — Population in 1870 — 23,711, of which 7,777' 
were colored. About one-sixth of the territory of the county has since been added to 
Trousdale. Acres assessed in 1873 — 308,399, valued at $3,697,504 ; total value of tax- 
able property, $5,185,727. The northern half of Sumner lies upon the Highland Eim 
and the southern half within the Central Basin. This is a fundamental fact, and will 
explain the great contrast there is between the two portions. The northern half is a 
high plateau country, having an elevation of 800 to 900 feet above the sea, the most 
elevated portions reaching 1,000 feet. The southern half lies several hundred feet be- 
low this, and presents a most fertile region, one of the best in Tennessee, in a high state of 
cultivation, and greatly in contrast with the wooded flats of the other portion. From the- 
"Eidge" the waters flow northward with very little slope into the Barren river in Ken- 
tucky, and into the head branches of Eed river in Eobertson county. South of the 
"Eidge" the creeks, taking their rise at the base of the escarpment, flow southerly with 
considerable fall into the Cumberland river, which bounds the county on the south. 
The valleys of these creeks are generally separated by ridges, which are finger projec- 
tions from the "Eidge" or Highlands. Near their origin, these dividing ridges are high 
and rough, but as they approach the river, they break away into low hills and not un- 
frequently into a nearly level country. The Central Basin part of the county is one of 
the finest blue-grass regions in the State. Stock-raising is the principal branch of hus- 
bandry in this part. Blooded horses and cattle are quite common. The timber is oak, 
ash, maple, hickory, walnut, beech and black locust. The lands in this part of the 
county may be classed in three qualities: bottom lands, creek and river; second bot- 
toms or higher lands, generally with chocolate-colored sub-soil, and mulatto lands, the- 
latter generally having limestone cropping out, and are seriously affected by drought. 
Cotton, corn, wheat and hay are the general products, the cotton being principally raised 
in the south-western portion of the county. Broom-corn is cultivated successfull3^ 
Irish and sweet potatoes are raised in abundance for home consumption. The prices of 
lands vary from twenty to sixty dollars per acre, according to locality, improvements, 
etc. Fruit trees in the Basin are short-lived, except upon gravelly soil. Upon the 
Highlands the sub-soil is a rich red clay, and the lands are well adapted to the raising 
of wheat and tobacco. The price of improved farms in this portion varies from five to 
to thirty dollars per acre. The Louisville and Nashville Eailroad passes through tlie 
center of the county ; the Cumberland river bounds one side, and the Cumberland and 
Ohio Eailroad is in course of construction. Gallatin has a population of 3,000 and is a 
flourishing town with several manufacturing establishments. Nine macadamized roads 
enter the town. 



TEOUSDALE COUNTY. 

Okganized 1870. County-seat, Hartsville — A new county established by a special pro- 
vision of the new constitution. It is the smallest county in Middle Tennessee and one 
of the richest. It contains only about 110 square miles. Acres assessed in 1873 — 66,- 
874, valued at $888,119 ; total value of taxable property, $1,152,904. It has a voting.' 



Middle Tennessee. 71 

population of 1,351, including 346 colored ; estimated from the number of voters the popu- 
lation is about 6,700, of which about 2,000 are colored. This county, with the exception 
of its south-eastern corner, lies, in the main, between the Highlands, (so wide-spreading 
in Macon and in the northern part of Sumner,) and the Cumberland river. It is thus 
within the Central Basin. The area of the county is made up of valleys separated by 
ridges, whose slopes, like the valleys, are rich and productive ; the surface is much 
broken. The ridges are the southerly prolongations of the spurs of the Highlands, 
which become" broken and generally lower as they approach the Cumberland. The 
soils are rich and mellow, producing in good seasons, corn, wheat, tobacco and the other 
crops of this latitude in luxuriance. A large proportion of the timbered lands has been 
cleared of the underbrush and seeded to blue-grass, and supplies good pasturage through 
many months in the year. The timber consists of poplar, white oak, walnut, sugar tree, 
etc., though not abundant. The county is watered by the Cumberland river, East, West 
and Big Grove creeks. The price of improved farms varies from twenty to sixty dollars 
per acre. The staple crops are corn, wheat, tobacco and hay, the latter is mostly made 
of the annual grasses, such as Hungarian-grass and German millet. The average yield 
of tobacco, on the best soils is near a thousand pounds per acre ; of corn, forty bushels ; 
of wheat, fifteen bushels. Stock is extensively raised and much attention is paid to the 
smaller industries. Produce finds its way to market by the Cumberland river. Three 
macadamized roads center at Hartsville. This town has a population of 700 and is the 
center of a good tobacco trade. 



VAN BUEEN COUNTY. 

Obganized 1840. Gmnty-seat, Spencer — Population in 1870 — 2,725, of which 156 were 
colored. Acres assessed in 1873—140,806 ; valued at $223,617 ; total taxable property, 
$259,493. The county, lying partly on the Cumberland Table-land, and_ partly on the 
mountain slopes and in the valleys, presents great diversity in surface, soil and produc- 
tions. The Table-land part embraces the sorth-eastern part of the county. The slopes 
on the sides of the Table-land, and its spurs and outlying ridges, are an important fea- 
ture, and occupy a considerable part of the area of the county. These are too rugged 
for cultivation and are valuable principally for the timber. Spurs of greater or less 
magnitude extend outward at irregular distances apart, sometimes enclosing valleys or 
coves of considerable size, in some of which the best lands in the county are found. Be- 
yond the range of these spurs are the red clay lands, extending north to the Caney Fork 
and west to Eocky river. The surface is generally broken or undulating. All of 
the streams, except the larger creeks, are underground. Bordering Caney Fork and 
Eocky river, which form the boundary of the county on the north and west, are bold 
bluffs of limestone extending down to the water's edge. A description of the soil of the 
Table-land and its adaptability may be found on pages 12 and 13. The coves have the 
richest soil of all the lands in the county. In some of them the soil overlying the clay 
sub-soil is ten feet deep.Very heavy crops of the cereals are taken from them year after 
year without any diminution of their productive, powers. In the valleys the soil is a 
dark rich loam, resting on a sub-soil of strong clay, and with good tillage it is inex- 
haustible. The productions are corn, wheat, rye, oats, sorghum, tobacco, potatoes and 
turnips, cabbage, beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips, tomatoes, squashes and melons. The 
Table-land, as a general rule, is thinly wooded, but has much valuable timber, chiefly 
oaks and chestnuts. The mountain sides, gulfs and ravines are very heavily timbered 
with chestnut, poplar, ash, maple, walnut, buckeye, cherry, linden, beech and other 
varieties. In the coves and valleys there are still large quantities of very fine timber. 

Good improved lands in the valleys can be bought at fair prices, ranging generally 
from five to twenty dollars per acre, though some of cove lands have recently sold as 
high as fifty dollars per acre; unimproved valley lands range from five to ten dollars 
per acre ; improved mountain farms can be bought at from one to ten dollars per acre ; 
unimproved mountain lands sometimes sell as low as ten cents per acre, never above one 
dollar. Stone coal and limonite iron ore exist in considerable quantities. 



WAEEEN COUNTY. 

0RGANIZ3EI) 1807. County-seat, Jfcl/m7im7fe— Population in 1870—12,714 of which 
1.955 were colored. Acres assessed in 1873—247,070, valued at $1,800,862 ; total tax- 



72 Resources of Tennessee. 

able property, $2,535,768. Excluding the portion on the Cumberland Table-land, the 
county may be said to be flat highland, but sufficiently cut by streams, with tolerably deep 
valleys, to give contrast and variety to the surface. The eastern portion is made rough 
by the spurs and outliers of the Table-land, and supplies many mountain valleys, coves, 
and often wild picturesque gorges, precipices and water-falls. The south-eastern part 
of the county lies on the Cumberland plateau, and has the elevation, soil and physical 
features which pertain to that region. (See pages 12 and 13.) Three-fourths of Warren 
county consists of red lands similar in character and fertility to that in Montgomery 
county. The remainder of the land is mountainous, but some of the best lands are to be 
found in the coves. These are usually very productive, and yield from thirty to forty 
bushels of corn per acre, while for fruit they are considered unequalled, especially for tho 
apple. The largest orchards in the State are in this county. The timber consists of 
ash, yellow poplar, linn, buckeye, sugar tree, hickory, every species of oak, black wal- 
nut, wild cherry, dogwood and black locust. Corn is the leading crop ; then come, in 
the order of their importance, wheat, oats, fruit, sorghum, sweet and Irish potatoes, to- 
bacco, cotton, grass seed, rye and hay. Clover is extensively sown, the red soils being 
specially suited to its growth. Apple brandy is extensively manufactured. The county 
is well watered by Collins river, Barren Fork, Charles creek. Mountain creek, Caney 
Fork and others, and the water-power is very valuable, much of which has been utili- 
zed in cotton manufacture. Hydraulic rock is abundant, and coal is found on the 
spurs of the Table-land. McMinnville has a population of about 1,200, and is a 
thriving town. There are numerous villages. 



WAYNE COUNTY. 

Orgajstized 1817. County-seat, Waynesboro — Population in 1870 — 10,209, of which 893 
were colored. Acres assessed in 1873—422,267, valued at $1,243,009 ; total taxable 
property, $1,664,494. W^ayne county is situated on the extreme western side of the 
Highland Eim, with its north-western corner projecting into the western valley of the 
Tennessee. It contains about 700 square miles. It is a high elevated plateau, between 
800 and 1,000 feet above the sea, furrowed by deep winding ravines or " hollows," with 
intervenient high rolling ridges, cut transverely in places by other ravines, which give 
the surface of the county the appearance of what sailors call a "chopped sea." The 
county is watered by the tributaries directly or indirectly of the Tennessee river which 
washes a portion of the west boundary of the county and furnishes the only outlet. The 
lands in Wayne county may be divided into three classes, viz: mineral, agricultural 
and grazing. Of the first class there are more than 200 square miles, lying in the east- 
■ern and south-eastern parts of the county.. These lands usually have a rolling surface, 
are well supplied with timber, except in those spots where it has been consumed in the 
manufacture of charcoal. The soil upon these minerals lands is exceedingly sterile. 
The agricultural lands are mostly confined to the river and creek bottoms. They are 
heavily charged with a black, flinty, angular rock ; soil alluvial and highly productive 
of wheat, corn, cotton, peanuts, sorghum and hay. These lands command very high 
prices, ranging from twenty to fifty dollars per acre, according to improvement and loca- 
tion. The third class of land, which is put down as grazing land, is flat and open, 
covered during the summer with a rank wild grass, which supplies nearly all the food 
for the stock, (other than work stock) in the county for eight and ten mouths in the year. 
This land is worth from one to three dollars per acre. Very few counties in the State 
are more abundantly supplied with timber. The southern part is covered with a dense 
forest of yellow pine, which has scarcely been touched. On the ridges, white oak, black 
oak, chestnut, poplar and chestnut oak prevail. The white oak tiniber is largely con- 
sumed in the manufacture of pipe staves for the French and Spanish markets. _Hy- 
draulic rock of an excellent quality occurs near Clifton in inexhaustible quantities. 
Iron ore (limonite) is abundant and yields from the furnace about 44 per cent. Only 
one furnace is in operation. Clifton and Waynesboro are the principal towns. 



WHITE COUNTY. 

Organized 1806. County-seat, Sparta — Population in 1870— .9,375, of which 1,080 
were colored. Acres assessed for 1873—217,101, valued at $1,140,836 ; total value of 



Middle Tennessee. 75 

taxable property, $1,320,610, In its topographical features the county is divided into 
three parts : the Table-land or mountain, the valleys and coves, and the barrens. These 
three divisions give great diversity of elevation, soil and productions. The eastern side 
of the county, comprising about one-fifth of its area, lies on the Cumberland Table-land, 
and has all the characteristics of this natural division of the State. (See pages 12 and 
13.) At about half the height of the Table-land is the terrace or "bench." This ter- 
race has the §ame elevation as the tables or tops of most of the little mountains or out- 
liers. It affords sites for some beautiful farms and orchards, where all varieties of fruit 
common to the country are produced. The Calf Killer Valley occupies a belt across 
the county, and is twenty-five miles long, with an average breadth of four miles. The 
surface is generally rolling, and there are no bottoms along the river. An interesting 
topograpi.cal feature is presented by the sink holes, which are very numerous in this 
valley. Other valleys furnish fine farming lands. Sugar maple, beech, ash, walnut, 
buckeye, linden, wild cherry, and immense yellow poplars are abundant in the forests. 
In the valleys the soil is generally good, being t dark brown loam, on a sub-soil of 
strong clay. In the barrens the lands are level and thin. Fifty cents to one dollar 
would buy most of the mountain lands ; farming land in the valleys fi-om five to forty ; 
barren lands from two to five. The principal crops in the order of their value, are corn, 
wheat, cotton, oats, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, rye, turnips and tobacco. Orchards 
are numerous, and dried fruit is an important article of trade. Caney Fork and Calf 
Killer are the principal streams. The water privileges of the county are abundant and 
very superior. There are many outcrops of coal. 



WILLIAMSON COUNTY. 

Oeganized 1799. Gounty-&eat, Franklin — Population in 1870 — 25,328, of which 11,- 
411 are colored, Acres assessed in 1873—356,100, valued at $5,790,429 ; total value 
of taxable property, $7,629,778. Williamson is situated in the Great Basin of Middle 
Tennessee, and though a small portion of its western border is on the Rim, yet it is one 
of the richest counties of the Basin. The face of the county is undulating all over the 
Basin, though in some places it swells up into hills and knobs almost equal to moun- 
tains. The water-shed is from the south-east to the north-west. There is a ridge com- 
mencing in Eutherford county, running south-westerlj'^, and gradually sinking into the 
general level, about six miles from Franklin. The northern face of this ridge empties 
its.waters into Mill creek, and the valleys of this creek and its tributaries are exceed- 
ingly fertile. No amount of cultivation seems to exhaust them. The uplands are also 
good, except the cedar glades. A fine belt of cedar traverses this county. The "knobs" 
are really mountains, in height, but bottoms in fertility. They are heavily clothed 
with poplar, ash, oak, walnut and wild cherry, and the soil is a deep black ioam, and 
although so steep that it is difficult to walk up, yet they are very thickly settled, and 
the produce is really astonishing. Spurs run out from the main ridge, and between 
them are valleys or coves of exuberant fertility. The valleys and foot hills of Har- 
peth river constitute nearly the whole of Williamson couuty, and the soil of these val- 
leys is equal to that of any county, producing large quantities of cotton, corn, millet, 
wheat, oats, rye, clover, hemp, and some tobacco ; blue-grass grows well. In the center 
of the Harpeth Valley is Franklin, the county-seat. On each side of South Harpeth is 
the great Eim of Middle Tennessee. The timber here is very dense. Almost all 
of it is white oak, though in some parts a fine growth of poplar and chestnut 
stands. The trees are very large. Lands here sell from twenty-five cents to two dollars 
per acre. In the southern part of the county, land readily brings fifty-dollars ; in the 
south-eastern, about fifteen to twenty ; in the Mill ci-eek Valley, about fifteen to forty ; 
and around Franklin, and to Brentwood, from forty to seventy-five, and even one hun- 
dred dollars have been paid. This is, however, on liberal time. Cedar lands sell for 
from fifty to two hundred dollars per acre, according to convenience to rich land. The 
Nashville and Decatur Railroad passes through the county, and there are_ seven maca- 
damized roads passing throughout the length of the county. Franklin, eighteen milea 
from Nashville, has a population of about 1,800. There are twelve other villages or 
towns. 



74 Resources of Tennessee, 

WILSON COUNTY. 

0KGA2inzED 1799. Gmmly-smt, Lebanon — Population in 1870, white, 18,544 ; colored, 
7,331 ; indians, 6 ', total, 25,881. Acres assessed in 1873—354,550, valued at $5,135,- 
351 ; total value of taxable property, $6,691,164. The county by actual survey contains 
578^ square miles. Wilson ranks among the best counties of the Central Basin. The 
lands are based almost wholly on limestone. The county has the Cumberland river on 
its northern side. The surface, summarily, outside of the valleys, of which there is a 
good supply, may be said to be rolling, with often high hills and ridges in the eastern 
part. The county-seat, Lebanon, is surrounded by a circle of moderate hills, the area 
within being a depression or basin, in the center of which is the town. From the town 
to the hills, in any direction, is from three to four miles. The average elevation of the 
county above the sea is from 500 to 600 feet. There is very little waste land. With 
the exception of a few cedar glades and some rocky points, all can be cultivated. It is 
a rare circumstance to see old turnlsd out fields. The soil of the county, excepting 
those of alluvial bottoms, and a dark cedar soil sometimes met with, is mulatto-colored, 
warm and rather sandy. The crops in the order of their importance, are corn, 
wheat, oats, hay and barley. In addition to these are produced in considerable quanti- 
ties, tobacco, cotton, potatoes, both sweet and Irish, and sorghum. Small quantities of 
clover and grass seed, and rye may be added to the list. Blue-grass grows well in many 
parts of the county. Stock-raising is largely engaged in by the farmers. The prices at 
which lands are held in Wilson are estimated to be, per acre, as follows : best improved 
bottom lands, sixty dollars; best improved uplands, forty dollars; medium bottom 
lands, twenty-five dollars; medium uplands, fifteen dollars; inferior uplands, eight 
dollars. The timber of the county is very valuable. Oak, ash and hickory timber, be- 
sides large forests of cedar gives great value to the forest products. Cumberland Uni- 
versity is located at Lebanon. The Tennessee and Pacific Eailroad has its terminus at 
the same place. Produce finds an outlet by this road and by the Cumberland river. 
Seven macadamized roads traverse the county in various directions. Lebanon has a 
population of 2,000. There are numerous other villages scattered through the county. 



WEST TENNESSEE. 

West Tennessee, extending from the Tennessee river to the Missis- 
sippi, embraces twenty counties, and has an area, if we include the 
whole of Hardin county, of 10,700 square miles, or about one-fourth 
of the entire area of the State. It had a population in 1870 of 367,- 
576, of which 127,738 were colored. The number of voters in 1871 
was 85,440, including 26,757 colored. The number of acres of land 
assessed in 1873, exclusive of town lots, was 6,316,300, valued at 
$63,217,856, or over |10 per acre. The entire value of taxable prop- 
erty is $107,633,035. West Tennessee has in operation 713 miles of 
railway, or about seven-sixteenths of all in the State. While in terri- 
torial extent it is but a fourth of the whole State, it has over one-third 
of the wealth and nearly one-third of the population. 



West Tennessee. 75 

There are three natural divisions in West Tennessee : 

1. The Western Valley of the Tennessee river. 

2. The Plateau Land, extending westward to the Mississippi bottoms. 

3. The Mississippi Bottoms. 

The first division includes the counties of Hardin, the eastern parts 
of Decatur, Benton and Henry. Bounding this division on the west 
is a high bold ridge, known as Tennessee Ridge, the water-shed be- 
tween the Tennessee and the Mississippi rivers. This ridge has an ele- 
vation^ of 600 and sometimes 700 feet above the sea. It is by far the 
roughest part of West Tennessee, and is valuable principally for its 
timber, but a few sj)ots occur that are well adapted to cultivation. This 
main ridge sends out towards the Tennessee river on the east a suc- 
cession of minor ridges, some of which terminate in bluffs on the Ten- 
nessee. Some of these ridges before reaching the river flatten down 
so as to give a better agricultural country. The general slope of the 
Western Valley is toward the north, while that of the Mississippi river 
is toward the south, thus denoting a warped surface to West Tennes- 
see. The elevation of high water of the Tennessee at Hamburg is 
392 feet, while at the crossing of the Northwestern railroad it is 357, 
which shows a fall of about four and a half inches per mile. The val- 
leys between the ridges making out from the Tennessee ridge eastward 
are generally in cultivation and some of them have rich productive 
soils. 

The second division is the Plateau or Slope of West Tennessee which 
differs greatly from the Valley of the Tennessee and partiularly in two 
features: 1. In having no hard rocks excepting in a few localities, 
and, 2, in having a more level surface. Sand, too, prevails every- 
where, and the soil, though tender, is very productive. The absence of 
a clayey subsoil makes horizontalization a necessity for the preserva- 
tion of the soil. Hundreds of acres have been exhausted and* are be- 
yond remedy. The entire area has this distinctive feature, that though 
there are hills and valleys to be seen in every county, its general char- 
acter is that of a broad plateau. Especially fringing its eastern and west- 
ern boundary lines, is the hilly country to be found, the hills being, as 
before stated, the minor ridges extending eastward to the Tennessee 
Ridge, and on the west the Mississippi Bluffs, which reach throughout 
the State, from north to south, on a line almost parallel with the Missis- 
sippi river. It is very difficult to estimate correctly the average eleva- 
tion of so comprehensive a section as that of the Plateau of West 
Tennessee. Its elevation is, in the southern part of the division, be- 
tween 500 and 600 feet above the sea, and in the central and northern 
part, from Jackson northward along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, it 
becomes less, ranging from 400 to 500 feet. It also appears that in 
going toward Memphis the elevation is reduced to a level considerably 
below 400 feet. (Geology of Tennessee, page 117.) 

The 3d division is the Mississippi Bottom. This is just what its name 



76 Resources of Tennessee, 

indicates, a bottom lying on the banks of the Mississippi river. The 
whole of this bottom is a low and great alluvial plain, which, at many- 
points, is below the high water level of the Mississippi, differing much 
in its general features from any other large section of the State. It is 
true along the banks of the Tennessee river there are a few bottoms 
which present features somewhat similar to those presented in this sec- 
tion, but they are on a limited scale, and imperfectly foreshadow what 
is found there. A very considerable proportion of the area embraced 
in the bottom is covered with wild, dark and heavy forests, in which 
are found even such wild game as deer and bear. Considered as an 
agricultural section, it is especially attractive, though its resources are 
still in a very undeveloped condition. This division of West Tennes- 
see embraces about 900 square miles. The general surface of this divi- 
sion coincides very nearly with the high water level of the Mississippi 
river. Its general elevation on the northern boundary of the State 
may be placed approximately at 295 feet above the gulf, and on the 
southern boundary, below Memphis, at about 215, the fall in this dis- 
tance being therefore eighty feet. 

The 8oiU of West Tennessee are as varied as its topographical fea- 
tures. For instance, the bottom lands on the Tennessee river gener- 
ally consist of a deep, dark, rich, alluvial soil, which rests upon a clay 
sub-soil, and wherever the lands are not subject to overflow they pro- 
duce excellently well in corn and cotton, and where there is a pretty 
good mixture of sand, the grasses generally do well. The high- 
lands of the Western Valley are much less productive than the bot- 
toms. In color they are generally much lighter, and they rest upon a 
•clay sub-soil, which is either whitish, yellowish or red. They produce 
tolerably well when planted in corn, cotton, tobacco, and especially 
well when sowed in grass, pro vided _there is not too much sand in the 
soil. The general character of the soil in the Plateau, or Slope of 
West Tennessee is pretty much the same. Of course it differs mate- 
rially in color in different counties, or even in districts of the same 
county, but everywhere it is mellow, mixed with more or less sand, 
impregnated with siliceous matter, and susceptible either of the highest 
state of cultivation, or, in the hands of careless and ignorant farmers, 
on account of its very mellowness, of being very soon made compara- 
tively worthless. Much of the area of the Mississippi Bottom is 
covered with lakes, bayous, lagoons, swamps, marshes, etc., and 
much of what remains is covered with heavy timber, but elsewhere the 
soil is a dark, rich alluvial, very deep and everlasting. Indeed, it is 
difficult to understand how even a careless or ignorant farmer can ever 
render this soil entirely worthless. By surface plowing only, it may 
not produce well after a few years, but it will even then require only a 
thorough " sub-soiling " or deep plowing to make it as productive as 
ever. This section of country is destined in time to become the agri- 
cultural paradise of Tennessee. At present, however, owing to the 
immense size of its timber, which renders it extremely difficult to get it in 
a state of cultivation, but a small proportion of it is being worked at all. 



West Tennessee. 77- 

Timber. In every county in West Tennessee there is an abundance 
of timber, including all the varieties found in the west and south-west. 
The best timber, however, is poplar, the different varieties of oak and 
gum, hickory, ash, cypress and walnut. No portion of the State can 
compare with Dyer and Obion counties in wealth of timber. The 
forest products are very extensive and valuable. Thousands of pipe 
staves are shipped to Spain and France annually. Lumber sells from 
ten dollars to thirty dollars per thousand, the laiter being for choice 
walnut. 

Staple Orops. In the more northern counties of West Tennessee 
the staple products are corn, tobacco and the grasses; but in most, if 
not all of them, cotton, wheat and oats also are raised. The principal 
staple in the southern counties is cotton, though corn, wheat and oats,_ 
the different grasses, and some tobacco are raised in all of them. In ad- 
dition to these crops, sweet and Irish potatoes are grown everywhere, but 
scarcely ever for market. In those counties where there is much sand, 
(as for instance in Decatur,) peanuts are raised to a considerable extent. 
Herds-grass and orchard-grass both grow well, and the latter is more 
prized by stock men than blue-grass. Clover is also a standing crop in 
the northern portion of this division, and is extensively grown, not 
only for its grazing and hay-making qualities, but also as a fertilizer. 

Stock-raising. Though possessing very superior natural advantages 
as a stock district, West Tennessee does not rank well with the " fine 
stock " sections of the country. In fact, very little attention is paid 
to the subject of raising fine stock, and almost none to that of rearing 
pure breeds. Occasionally a few pure-blooded males will be found, 
having been introduced into a county with a view of improving the 
domestic breeds ; but it is a rare thing to find a farmer who has turned 
his attention to breeding thorough-breds. Almost every farmer, how- 
ever, in the northern part of West Tennessee raises a sufficient number 
of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, swine (common stock,) for his own pur- 
poses, and most of them raise some to sell. In every county and in 
almost every neighborhood, the range is good, and it really costs but 
little to raise and even fatten a good number of stock Around Mem- 
phis dairy farming has proved quited profitable. 

Minerals. Though not so rich in mineral wealth as either of the 
other divisions of the State, some very rich deposits of iron ore are 
met with in Decatur and Benton counties. Previous to the war there V" 
were two furnaces in operation, Brownsport and Decatur. The former 
only has been in blast since. In Henry, Benton and Decatur counties 
quarries of very good variegated marble occur. The same rock is 
burnt into lime, which is the principal source of supply for the more 
westerly counties. Beds of lignite outcrop on the slopes of the Mis- 
sissippi Bluffs in Obion, Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton and Shelby. This 
material has been mistaken for true stone-coal, an error which has led 
some into expensive and vain exploration. In a number of counties 
beds of potter's clay abound, much of which is white. In McNairy, 
Hardin and Henderson a very extensive bed of "green sand" occurs 



y8 Resources of Tennessee. 

which supplies a good fertilizer. No part of the State has more ample 
facilities for transportation. Every county in this division of the State 
except Henderson has either direct railroad or river transportation. 
See article on Transportation, page 30. 



BENTON COUNTY. 

Organized 1836. Oounty-seat, Cainden — ^This couuty embraces about 400 square 
miles, and had a population by the last census amounting to 8,234, of which 422 were 
colored. The number of acres of land, exclusive of town lots, assessed for taxation in 
1873, was 239,663 ; valued at $911,277. The whole valuation of taxable property for 
the same year was $1,012,619. Benton county is partly in the "Western Valley of the 
Tennessee river and partly on the Plateau or Slope of West Tennessee, the eastern sec- 
tion being in the former, the remainder in the latter. The point where the Na&hville 
and Northwestern Eailroad crosses the Tennessee river is 357 feet above the sea. The 
average elevation is about 370 feet above the sea. Immediately about Camden, which 
is located very near the center of the county, the country in every direction for a dis- 
tance of about five miles is gently undulating, but going east towards the Tennessee 
river, until the margin of the river valley is reached, there are many steep bluffs, or 
spurs, which fringe the valley along its entire length in the county. This valley is 
about, on an average, two miles wide, and not less than fifty miles long, and has a rich, 
alluvial soil, which is very productive. West of Camden, the county becomes more roll- 
ing, and the soH is thiner and much less productive. The county is watered by Eagle 
creek, Birdsong creek, Sycamore creek. Cypress creek and Eushing creek. The Tennes- 
see river makes the eastern border of the county for a distance of fifty miles, and the 
Big Sandy River forms the dividing line between Benton and Carroll counties. Spring 
and well water are used for domestic purposes. Timber — oak principally, with some 
poplar, and in the creek and river bottoms some walnut. Number of farms in county, 
1,165. The prices of land is very low, the following being the average : best improved 
lowlands, per acre, fifteen dollars ; best improved uplands, ten dollars ; medium low- 
lands, five dollars ; medium uplands, three dollars ; inferior lowlands, three dollars ; 
iiiferior uplands, two dollars. The following will show the crops and average yield per 
acre : cotton, 500 pounds ; corn, 25 bushels ; tobacco, 700 pounds ; Irish potatoes, 60 
bushels; sweet potatoes, 75 bushels ; peanuts, 65 bushels. The Nashville and North- 
western Eailroad passes through the county, which gives ample railroad communication 
in addition to the water facilities furnished by the Tennessee river. Camden has a 
population of about 300. 



CAEEOLL COUNTY. , 

OEaANiZED 1822. County-seat, Huntingdon — There are about 625 square miles of ter- 
ritory in the county. The number of acres exclusive of town lots assessed for taxation 
in 1873, was 352,030, valued at $3,153,880; total taxable property, $3,787,855. Around 
Huntingdon the country is broken, but becomes quite level on the northern and western 
border. The land on the eastern boundary is very much broken. The soil is generally 
of gray color, with a reddish sub-soil, which is very retentive of moifeture. But there 
is a light sandy soil in various sections of the county very tender and washes easily, on 
which cotton does better than on the gray lands, but even on these it pays well to raise 
it. The principal streams are Big Sandy, Beaver creek. Crooked creek, Ready creek 
and Eutherford Fork. The average prices for lands in the county are about as follows : 
best improved land, per acre, twenty to thirty dollars ; medium lands, fifteen to twenty ; 
inferior lands, five to eight. Staple crops : corn, average yield per acre, 22 bushels ; 
cotton, 600 to 800 pounds; wheat, 8 bushels; tobacco, 800 pounds; oats, 15 bushels; 
potatoes, Irish, 20 to 30 bushels ; potatoes, sweet, 25 to 40 bushels. On the best soils 
two or three times the quantity here given can be grown. The soil is admirably suited 
to herds-grass ; the bottoms grow millet and timothy abundantly. Fruit yields with 



West Tennessee 79 

moderate certainty. Good lumber can be procured in the county at from fifteen to 
twenty dollars per thousand feet, principally yellow poplar, but there is some red gum ; 
the other varieties are very scarce, and but little lumber is shipped. Huntingdon has 
about 800 inhabitants ; McKenzie at the crossing of the Nashville and Northwestern 
and Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern Railroads is a flourishing place of 1,000 
inhabitants, and is the seat of several flourishing educational institutions. Trezevant, 
McLemoresville and Marlborough are thriving places. The railroad facilities are good 
with more in prospect. Population in 1870 — whites, 14,648; colored, 4,779; total, 
19,447. 



CROCKETT COUNTY. 

Organized 1872. County-seat, Alamo — The county contains about 275 square miles. 
The number of acres assessed for taxation, exclusive of town lots, is 163,658, valued at 
$2,661;121 ; total value of taxable property, $3,163,589. Population, 10,500, one-fourth 
colored. The surface of the county is generally level, being a little hilly in the north- 
west. The black soils of the county are very rich and productive, being almost totally 
destitute of sand. In the eastern part the soils are reddish and sandy. Cotton and corn 
are the staple crops, the yield of the first being about 700 pounds to the acre, and of the 
second about 35 bushels. Some wheat is raised for home consumption. Herds-grass 
grows well, and on some soils, clover. Peaches, grapes and strawberries are raised in 
considerable quantities. The following are the average prices of land in the county : 
best land, per acre, twenty to thirty dollars ; medium land, twelve to twenty dollars ; 
inferior land, five to twelve. The terms of sale are generally one-third cash, balance in 
one and two years. South Fork and Middle Fork of Forked Deer river and Pond 
creek are the principal streams. For a supply of stock-water, the people depend on arti- 
ficial ponds, which are easily made and hold well, and upon the ponds in the beds of 
creeks which cease to run in summer. Many of these ponds hold water during the 
greater part of the year. The dependence for household purposes are wells and cisterns. 
The Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern Railroad passes through the county. 
Alamo has a population of 350. Gadsden, Bells Station, Chestnut Blufi" are the princi- 
pal villages. 



DECATUR COUNTY. 

Organized 1846. County-seat, Decaiurville — A large portion of Decatur is included 
in what is known as the Plateau or Slope of "West Tennessee, the remaining part being 
in the West Tennessee Valley. The character of the country west of the Tennessee 
river and until the river bluffs are reached is a rich dark alluvial soil, very porous, 
very deep and very productive. There is a ridge, known in the county as the " shore 
line," which traverses the county in a north and south direction, and forms two divi- 
sions known locally as the ''sand district" and the "rocky district," the former being 
west of the ridge and the latter being east of it. On the river bluffs limestone rocks 
crop out until the old " shore line " is reached. West of Decaturville the land becomes 
sandy with no hard rocks. The soil is mellow, productive, but thirsty. As a general 
rule the lowlands are planted in corn, and the uplands in cotton, wheat and peanuts. 
The highlands are well adapted to the growth of clover, and where there is a prepon- 
derance of sand in the soil, herds-grass and peanuts thrive especially well. Wheat 
generally does better in those sections of the county where there is less sand, and where 
the soil is stiffer than in most sandy sections. In various portions of the county, es- 
pecially upon or near the ridge, are numerous glades or bare tracts of land, sometimes 
containing several acres, which will produce nothing in the way of vegetation, but an 
occasional bush or little patches of wiry grass. These glades result from the disinte- 
gration of gray and sometimes reddish marly limestones, which contain occasionally 
interstatified thin cherty layers. The Tennessee river washes the eastern border of the 
county and furnishes the only outlet. Beech river is the principal stream which passes 
through the county. Timber: poplar and the diffei'ent varieties of oak, gum, hickory, 
ash, cedar, pine, sugar maple, wild cherry, walnut and some chestnut. Lumber is 
made and shipped by the Tennessee river. The usual prices asked and paid for land 
are: best improved lowlands, per acre, thirty-five dollars; second class do, twenty 
dollars ; third class do, twelve dollars ; best unimproved, twelve dollars ; second class 
do, eight dollars ; third class do, two dollars. These lands include only the tillable 



go Resources of Tennessee. 

lands of the county. There are very rich river bottom lands, which are subject ta 
annual overflow, that can be purchased at from three to five dollars per acre, but th^y 
are worthless except for the timber which is upon them. Average yield per acre in 
corn is 30 bushels ; cotton (in seed) 700 pounds ; wheat, 17 bushels ; peanuts, 25 bush- 
els. Some attention is paid to the growing of grasses and_ such roots as are generally 
grown in West Tennessee. Iron ore of a superior quality is found near the Tennessee 
river. One furnace with a capacity of 6,000 tons per annum is in operation. Number 
of acres returned for taxation in 1873—322,690, valued at $3,214,148 ; total taxable- 
property, $1,054,846. Population in 1870—7,772, of which 1,056 were colored. 



DYEE COUNTY. 

Organized 1824. County-seat, Dyershurg — This county is bounded on the north by 
the counties of Obion and Lake, on the east by Gibson and Crockett, on the south by 
Haywood, Crockett and Lauderdale, and on the west by the Mississippi river. It has 
an area of about 600 square miles. The number of acres assessed for taxation in 1873 
was 327,690, valued at $3,214,148 ; the assessed valued of property is $4,072,081. Pop- 
ulation — whites, 10,767 ; colored, 2,822 ; total, 13,589. Dyer is one of the most fertile 
counties in the State. About one-half of it lies in the Mississippi bottom, and the other 
on the Slope or Plateau of West Tennessee. That in the bottoms is very flat while the 
highlands are undulating. The soil is generally a dark rich loam, with a sub-soil of 
yellow clay, but in the western portion there is considerable sand and the soil is 
much lighter in color. The bottom lands are alluvial and the soil remarkably deep 
and productive. The county is well watered by Obion and Forked Deer rivers and 
the latter is navigable as high up as Dyershurg, the county-seat. No county in the 
State is better supplied with timber, the best being poplar, hickory, walnut, cypress, 
the different varieties of oak, chestnut and beech, and the other kinds usually found in 
West Tennessee. Some of the poplars rise to a height of sixty or seventy feet without 
a limb, and will measure six or seven feet in circumference. Oaks, hickories and wal- 
nuts grow to an immense size, and even the sassafras here attains the dimensions of the 
largest trees of the forest. First class improved lands are worth thirty dollars per acre;, 
second class do, twenty dollars; third class do, ten dollars; first class unimproved 
lands, fifteen dollars ; second class do, ten dollars ; third class do, five dollars. There 
are considerable bodies of land in the county which are subject to annual overflow, and 
which can be purchased at from fifty cents to two dollars per acre. The usual terms of 
sale are, one-third cash, the balance in one and two years, with a lien reserved on land. 
The stanle crops with the average yield per acre are, corn, 35 bushels ; cotton, 950 
pounds ;' tobacco, 1,000 pounds ; wheat, 12 bushels ; oats, 17 bushels ; hay, 3,000 pounds. 
The cotton shipped from the county ranks in the market with the best Tennessee cotton, 
and the tobacco, most of which is shipped to New Orleans, ranks well as a heavy ship- 
ping tobacco. The Memphis and Paducah Railroad will pass through the county. 
There is no county in the State with fairer prospects for the future. Immigrants are 
greatly needed. 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 

Obganized 1824. County-seat, Somerville — This is one of the largest and one of the- 
best counties in the State, and comprises over 700 square miles. The number of acres, 
exclusive of town lots, assessed for taxation in 1873, was 438,652, valued at $4,910,805, 
or at little over $11 per acre. The whole amount of taxable property in the county 
amounted in 1873 to $6,343,325. Population in 1870—26,145, of which 16,987 were 
colored. The country bounded on the east and north by Big Hatch ie, the Wolf on the 
south, and the Mississippi on the west, is said to be the most productive tract of upland 
cotton land on the globe, in area 1,400,744 acres. In the center of this tract lies Fay- 
ette county, in shape nearly square. The topographical features are not strongly 
marked. The northern portion is slightly undulating ; the middle and western a little 
more inclined to be hilly, with extended plateaus ; the south-east portion is more hilly, 
with very fertile valleys. The extreme southern part is an unbroken level, being the 
bottoms of Wolf river, which is the largest stream in the county, and navigable at cer- 
tain seasons. It runs east and west. The North Fork of Wolf rises in theeastern part of 
the county and joins the Wolf at Moscow. The Loosahatckie also rises in the eastera 



J'Vesl Tennessee. ,8l 

Sart of the county, runs nearly west through the center, and empties into the Wolf at 
[emphis. The other streams are Bear creek and Beaver. The soils of Fayette county 
are almost uniformly sandy, with more silicates in those in the southern portion, and a 
gradual increase of clay in the northern. That of the entire county is peculiarly adapt- 
ed to the growth of cotton and other textile plants. It is quick, and produces satisfac- 
tory crops of all the cereals. It washes easily. Timber is scarce ; red oak, walnut, poplar, 
hickory; in the bottoms, beech, overcup and white ash. Farms are large. Cotton is the 
commercial crop. Indeed, almost all other crops are neglected for this. The prices of 
farming land range from three to forty dollars per acre, averaging about $9.50. The 
price per acre is governed mainly by location and condition of land. Large quantities 
of hillside lands having been wholly neglected during the war have washed into gullies 
and ravines, the top loam being swept into the valleys. These only were first cultivated, 
though improvements are again reaching up the hillsides and reclaiming them. These 
neglected lands can be bought for from five to ten dollars per acre, and will produce 
500 pounds lint cotton, or fifteen to twenty-five bushels of corn without fertilizers, when 
properly treated. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, etc., thrive wonderfully, ex- 
cept winter apples. The fruit has a peculiarly delicious saccharine flavor, particularly 
the peaches. Nearly every variety of grapes do exceedingly well, as proved by amateur 
growers. The scuppernong grows in great abundance and perfection, never rotting. 
Common schools are well sustained. The Memphis and Charleston Eailroad with a 
branch to Somerville, supplies means of transportation. 



GIBSON COUNTY. 

Organized 1823. Cowrdy-seat, Trenton — The county comprises about 600 square 
miles. Acres assessed, 366,105, valued at $5,618,695 ; total value of taxable property, 
$7,471,389. Population in 1870—25,666, of which 6,865 were colored. Since that 
time about one-seventh of the county has been taken ofi" and added to Crockett county. 
Between the different streams, there are generally low ridges that divide the valleys, but 
they are neither very distinctive nor very prominent. All of Gibson county is on the 
Pla'teau or Slope of West Tennessee, in which there are very few or no regular strata 
of hard rock ; occasionally, however, local or limited beds or blocks of coarse reddish 
or brown sandstone are met with. The soil upon the surface is loam, which is dark, 
ranging from a mulatto color to black, and varies in depth from six to twenty-four 
inches. Immediately below this loam is a yellowish clay, which varies in depth from 
eighteen inches to four feet. Below the clay is sand, and then " hard pan " difficult to 
be dug with picks. The darker lands of the county, which are principally embraced in 
its western half, are more favorable to the growth of cotton than the others, though all 
the good lands in Gibson county grow corn and cotton well. The soil of Gibson county 
generally is very mellow and has in it a considerable quantity of siliceous matter. It 
is easily tilled, but where there are any very preceptible elevations, it is subject to be 
washed away, and requires good handling to make it durable. The county is watered 
by the tributaries of Forked Deer and Obion rivers. The timber is not equal to that of 
Dyer and Obion counties, but exists in sufficient abundance for the wants of the county. 
There is much land for sale. The prices asked are : for best uplands, per acre, fifteen 
to twenty dollars ; best lowlands, twenty to twenty-five dollars ; medium uplands, ten 
to fifteen dollars ; medium lowlands, fifteen to twenty dollars ; inferior uplands, five to 
ten dollars; inferior lowlands, ten to fifteen dollars. The overflowed lands, including 
about 3 per cent, of all the lands in the county, generally sell for from three to five dol- 
lars per acre. Cotton is the principal staple, though corn, wlieat and hay areraised in 
considerable quantities. The land produces tobacco well, but very little is raised. 
There are other products which are raised in considerable quantities, but they cannot 
be classed with the staples. The average yield of cotton, per acre, is 800 pounds seed ; 
corn, 30 bushels; tobacco, 900 pounds ; wheat, 7 bushels; hay, 1,500 pounds. Timothy 
and herds-grass grow well and so do fruits of various kinds. At present there are three 
railroads passing into and through the county — the Mobile and Ohio, the Memphis 
and Louisville, and the Mississippi Central. The Tennessee Central, which is to run 
from Fulton, on the Mississipp river, and tap the Nashville and Northwestern Eailroad 
at Huntingdon, will pass through Trenton, thence onward to Huntingdon ; it is now 
under contract. Trenton, the principal town, has a population of 2,700. The public 
schools are among the best in the State. 

6 



S2 Resources of Tennessee. 

HAEDEMAN COUNTY. 

Obganized 1823. County-seat, Bolivar — Acres assessed in 1873 — 398,826, valued at 
$3,339,054; total value of taxable property, $4,449,059. Population in 1870 was white, 
11,220 ; colored, 6.854 ; total, 18,074. The county is included in tlie Slope or Plateau 
of West Tennessee, and is one of the best counties in that natural division of the State. 
Around the county-seat the surface of the country is quite level, and also on the western 
border. The other parts are slightly undulating, with alternations of rich creek valleys. 
The soil is a dark, mellow, siliceous loam, and highly productive. The sub-soil is a red 
clay. On the ridges the soil though rich is thin, on the level lands its depth will aver- 
age five inches, and in the valleys eighteen. Big Hatchie passes diagonally through 
the county, and with its tribuataries furnishes every part of it with water. Wells 
and cisterns are easily made, there being no solid rock in the county. The water 
is freestone and chalybeate. The best varieties of timber are white oak, red oak, hick- 
ory, gum, poplar, and much pine. Large quantities of lumber are shipped annually 
as staves, for the European markets, and a great many cross ties are annually cut 
for railroad purposes. Saw-mills are numerous. The lumber is of pine, cypress, 
poplar and oak. Best improved lands, per acre, are worth twenty-five dollars ; medium 
do, ten dollars ; inferior do, five dollars ; the average being about fifteen dollars ; best 
unimproved lands, fifteen dollars ; medium do, seven dollars and fifty cents ; inferior 
do, one dollar ; the average being about eight dollars. Corn, cotton, peas, and potatoes 
are grown more extensively in the county than any other crops, though there are also 
yearly crops made of tobacco, wheat, oats, rye and beans, and a considerable quantity 
oi clover is also grown. The average yield per acre, of cotton in seed is 800 pounds , 
corn, 20 bushels ; wheat, 12 bushels ; tobacco, 900 pounds ; oats, 25 bushels ; hay, 1 ton ; 
Irish potatoes, 150 bushels ; sweet potatoes, 200 bushels. The cotton shipped ranks gen- 
erally as " strictly middling," and the tobacco is said to be of a superior quality, though 
the quantity is quite limited. As a fruit region, Hardeman takes a front rank among 
the West Tennessee counties. Stone fruits, seed fruits and berries do well in every neigh- 
borhood. Apples are the most certain fruit, but peaches also thrive. Memphis and 
New Orleans are the principal markets. The former is reached by the way of the Mem- 
phis and Charleston Railroad, which passes through the county, and also by the way 
of the Hatchie and Mississippi rivers, the former of which is navigable to Bolivar and 
empties into the Mississippi. New Orleans is reached by the Mississippi Central Rail- 
road, which passes through the county, and also by the way of the Hatchie and Missis- 
•sippi rivers. 



HARDIN COUNTY. 

Organized 1819. County-seat, Savannah — Population in 1870 was 11,768, of which 
1,447 were colored. Acres assessed in 1873 — 317,656, valued at $1,609,050 ; total value 
of taxable property, $1,930,970. Variety is the leading characteristic of this county, 
and this is true of its topography, geology, soils and timber. Lying partly on the High- 
land Rim of Middle Tennessee, partly in the Western Valley of the Tennessee, and partly 
on the Slope or Plateau of West Tennessee, it partakes of the characteristics of all three 
divisions. The valley of the Tennessee river extends in a northerly direction through 
the county, and of course is a leading feature of its topography. This valley is com- 
paratively rough and broken. There are some excellent bottoms on this river, but the 
quantity of good land is not so great as one should expeet to see bordeiing such a 
magnificent stream. Four large creeks from the east and eight from the west empty 
into the Tennessee river, which supply the county bountifully with living water. The 
best soils are those of the bottom lands, and many of these are unsurpassed in fertility. 
The soils of the Tennessee bottom, on the west side of the river, are of three distinct 
kinds, arranged in strips nearly equal in width and parallel with the river. The first 
of these next to the river is a deep black alluvium, highly productive ; the second is 
sandy, and in point of productiveness is about equal to the uplands ; the last is swampy, 
bluish in color, " crawfishy " and cold, the liome of greenbriers, but it is lieavily tim- 
bered. In the southern end of the county on the west side sandy hills prevail. The 
country is rough and the hills are covered with pine timber and oaks. These hills ex- 
tend seven miles down the river, after which the country becomes more level and the 
soils better, running into the Green Sand Belt, The soils in this hilly region wash 
easily by reason of the predominance of sand, and are moderately productive. The 
soils on the creeks on the east side of the river are limestone, and the best in the county. 



Wesi Tennessee. 83 

a.nd especially those in the bottoms lying on Indian creek, which cover in the aggregate 
about twenty-two square miles. The soils of the uplands on the east side of the river 
are thin and unproductive. Much of this upland is high and rolling, but covered with 
an abundance of excellent timber. Three miles east of Savannah there is a belt of 
flat or barren land. It has a white sub-soil, shading off into yellow. Some of this land 
is quite productive when first opened, but its fertility is soon exhausted. This flat re- 
gion covers about fifty square miles. The summits of the ridges in the eastern part of 
the county have sometimes a tolerably good soil, but more frequently a thin one. On 
many of the ridges chestnut oaks abound, and supply much bark for tanning purposes. 
There are fine forests of pine timber in the southern part of the county. The value of 
the lands in Hardin county, is for first quality, improved, per acre, one hundred dol- 
lars ; second quality, fifty dollars; third do, twenty dollars ; fourth do, six dollars; 
fifth do,_ fifty cents. The principal crops of the county are corn, cotton, wheat, oats, pea- 
nuts, Irish and sweet potatoes and hay. Fruit (especially apples and peaches) is an im- 
portant product of the county. Figs ripen in the open air. Plums are not troubled with 
curculio. The^ experiments made with the pear have proved entirely satisfactory. 
Nuts, blackberries, i-aspberries, etc., are to be found everywhere. Muscadines grow with 
unparalleled luxuriance on river bottoms. Grapes have been grown with success on the 
flat barren lands. On the best river bottoms the yield of corn reaches sometimes 75 and 
100 bushels per acre. _ The best lands for the production of cotton are on Mud creek, 
where the quantity raised is sometimes as much as 1,200 pounds of seed cotton per acre. 
The average yield of wheat, which is sown in November and December, is ten bushels 
per acre. Irish potatoes yield bountifully on the black sandy soils. There are no 
greater inducements offered by any county than this for immigrants. The outlet is by 
the Tennessee river. Hydraulic rock is abundant as well as a siliceous iron ore. Some 
lead has been found. Savannah has a population of 700 and is situated on this river. 



HAYWOOD COUNTY. 

Organized 1824. Cmmty-seat, Brownsville — ^This county comprises about 460 square 
miles, and occupies with Madison a central position in West Tennessee. Acres assessed 
in 1873—296,958, valued at $3,700,937 ; total taxable property, $5,697,559. Popula- 
tion — white, 9,459 ; colored, 11,661 : total, 21,120. This county is on the Plateau or 
Slope of West Tennessee. A ridge which is the water-shed between the Forked Deer 
and Hatchie rivers, traverses the center of the county from east to west. From the crest 
of this ridge the country slopes to the southern border of this county on the one hand, 
and to the northern on the other. There are but few hard rocks in the county. Occa- 
sional masses of sandstone are met with, which answer the purposes of a building stone. 
In many places in the county are found beds of sand, associated to some extent with 
■clay and loams. In fact, the Lagrange Sands and the overlying drift, the Orange Sand, 
ai-e almost the only formations found in this county. The Lagrange formation ap- 
pears as a stratified mass of yellow, orange, red or brown, and white sand, with an oc- 
casional interstratified bed of white, gray or variegated clay. The best cotton lands in 
the county rest upon these sand beds, the soil being a mellow, siliceous loam, which is 
easily tilled, but is easily washed away, requiring careful draining and general good 
farming to keep it up. The prevailing color of the soil of this county is a d-ark gray, 
with a yellowish sub-soil, upon a bed of clay. The county is watered, for the most part, 
by the Hatchie and Forked Deer rivers and their tributaries. Lakes are numerous. 
There is an abundance of good timber all over the county, the different varieties of oak 
being regarded as the best ; there are also poplar, gum, and along the rivers cypress and 
other varieties. The principal undergrowth is pawpaw and hazlenut. Average price of 
best lands, per acre, twenty-five dollars; medium, twenty dollars ; inferior, seven dol- 
lars and fifty cents. There is very little inferior land in the county. The staple is cot- 
ton, but a sufficiency of corn to supply the home demand is generally raised. Much 
more attention is paid to the growing of wheat than to the growing of any of the smaller 
grains, though some attention is paid to oats. Yield of cotton, per acre, 750 pounds ; 
corn, 24 bushels. The Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern EaiLroad passes through 
the county. Brownsville has about 6,000 inhabitants, and has grown rapidly since the 
war. It has a large cotton factory in operation, and ships annually about 20,000 bales 
vf cotton. 



\ 

84 Resources of Tennessee. 

HENDERSON COUNTY. 

Organized 1821. County-seat, Lexington — It embraces about 590 square miles, and 
contained a population in 1870 of 14,517, of which only 2,408 were colored. Acres 
assessed for taxation in 1873 — 374,287, valued at $1,958,128. The census gave as the- 
whole number of acres in the county 330,132, of which 92,250 were unimproved. Total 
taxable property amounts to $2,311,338. The surface is diversified. The Tennessee 
ridge with its outlying hills about five miles wide, extends north and south through the 
county, and forms the most picturesque portion of West Tennessee. The lands east and 
west of the ridge are slightly undulating. The soil on the ridges is thin, but in level 
places, even upon the ridges the soil is productive. Several important streams rise in 
the county, among others, Beech river, Big Sandy, and some of the tributaries of the 
Forked Deer. The formation is cretaceous mainly, and exhaustless beds of green sand 
exist in the county suitable for making fertilizers. First-class improved lands are worth 
per acre, twenty-five dollars ; second-class do, eighteen dollars; third-class do, eight 
dollars ; first-class unimproved, eighteen dollars ; second-class do, seven dollars ; third- 
class do, three dollars. The average yield per acre, in corn, is 30 bushels; wheat, 10 
bushels ; oats 15 bushels ; cotton, (in seed) 700 pounds ; tobacco, 800 pounds ; hay, 
3,000 pounds. There are no railroads. Lexington is the principal town and has about 
250 inhabitants. 



HENEY COUNTY. 

Oegaijized 1822. County-seat, Paris — It embraces about 570 square miles, and had 
a population in 1870 of 20,380, of which 5,204 were colored. Acres assessed for taxation 
in 1873 357,705, valued at $2,812,860 ; total taxable property, $3,656,340. The Ten- 
nessee Eidge which divides the waters Running into the Tennessee river and those 
running into the Mississippi, pass through the central part of the county, entering near 
Macedonia, runs north, and passes out near Conyersville. Along the course of this ridge 
there is a narrow strip of land that is hilly. It is well adapted to the growing of 
apples, peaches, pears, and the grape. East of " the ridge " the surface soon become* 
level, or gently undulating, the soil being a light sandy loam, underlaid with a stratum 
of sandy or gravelly clay. The more level uplands have good depth of soil, are under- 
laid with red clay, more or less mixed with sand, and are capable of indefinite improve- 
ment. West of the " divide " the surface, at first gently sloping, soon becomes quite 
level, the soil more compact, often mixed with gravel, underlaid with red, and in some 
spots, whitish clay, exceedingly fertile, and is as pretty farming lands as can be found 
in Tennessee. Improved lands are worth fi-om ten to fifty dollars per acre, and unim- 
proved from five to twenty. The average price for good improved land is about twenty 
to twenty-five dollars. All kinds of oaks abound — white oak for sawed lumber for 
fences, floors, laths, felloes, spokes, etc. ; post oak for posts and railroad ties, and the 
red oak for boards, rails, tanbark, etc. There is an abundance of the finest of hickory, 
suitable for axletrees, spokes, hubs, handles, hoops, etc., also poplar, gum, beech, cherry, 
and chestnut for building and cabinet lumber. There are also elm, ash, birch, maple, 
locust, mulberry, hornbeam, dogwood, redbud, haw, sassafras, plum, pawpaw, persim- 
mon, hazel, huckleberry, etc. Some of the white oaks will measure six and eight feet 
in diameter, three feet above the ground. The soils are well adapted to the production 
of cotton, tobacco, corn, wheat, rye, oats, clover, the grasses, peas, beans, potatoes, sor- 
ghum, etc. The great staples are cotton and tobacco, both of which grow nearly or 
q^uite as well here as in any portion of the State. Clover has been sown extensively 
since the war and does well. Means of transportation are furnished by the Tennessee 
river, and Louisville^ Nashville and Great Southern Eailroad. Paris has a population 
of 2,000. There are several manufactories of cotton and tobacco in the county. 



LAKE COUNTY. 

Organized 1870. County-seat, Tiptonville — It is the extreme north-western county of 
the State, and is hemmed in by the Mississippi river on the west and Eeelfoot Lake on 
the east. It comprises about 135 square miles. The number of acres assessed for tax- 
ation is 84,360, valued at $755,883 ; total value of taxable property, $908,386. The 
population in 1870 was 2,428, of which 393 were colored. All of Lake county is in 
what is called the Mississippi Bottoms, and belongs to the most recent formation. 



TVes^ Tennessee, 85 

The county is heavily timbered with cypress, oaks and cottonwood. The surface is 
almost a water level ;, soil deep black, exhautless and impregnated with lime, adapted 
to the growth of cotton, corn, potatoes and all the grasses. The yield of these crops is 
almost incredible. As much as 2,500 pounds of seed cotton have been grown on one 
acre, and other crops in like proportion. Land varies in price from five to fifty dollars 
per acre. This county has a larger proportion of rich soils than any other in the State. 
The Mississippi river furnishes the only outlet. 



LAUDERDALE COUNTY. 

Organized 1836. Gownty-seai, Ripley — It has an area of about 430 square miles. 
The amount of laud assessed for taxation in 1873, exclusive of town lots, was 272,445 
acres, valued at $2,442,623, or nearly $9 per acre. The total value of taxable property 
is $2,829,185. The population in 1870 was 10,838, of which 3,484, or not quite one-third 
were colored. The eastern part of Lauderdale is on the Plateau of West Teimessee ; the 
western part is low, and lies in the Mississippi Bottom, and each part has the charac- 
teristics of three natural divisions as given on page 7. Soils described on pages 15 and 
16. The county is washed on the west by the Mississippi river, which with the Paducah 
and Memphis Eailroad furnishes an outlet for the products of the county. The Hatchie 
and Forked Deer rivers with their tributaries supply the county well with water. The 
timber trees are poplar, white oak, hickory, ash and cypress. Best improved lands are 
worth per acre, thirty-five dollars ; second-class do, twenty-five dollars ; third-class do, 
ten dollars ; in fcrior do, five dollars ; best unimproved, fifteen dollars ; second-class do, 
ten dollars ; thiid-class do, five dollars ; inferior do, two dollars and fifty cents. There 
are considerable bodies of land in the bottoms which are subject to overflow, and which 
can be purchased at from fifty cents to two dollars and a half per acre. Cotton is the 
staple crop, and the average yield for the county is 750 pounds in the seed, per acre. 
•Corn enough is not raised for home consumption. 



MADISON COUNTY. 

Organized 1821. County-seat, Jackson — It has an area of 575 square mile?. Popu- 
lation in 1870 — 28,480, of which 10,152 were colored. A small fraction has since been 
taken ofi". Acres assessed 361,842, valued at $3,863,124 ; whole value of taxable property, 
$6,248,727. This county lies on the Plateau or Slope of West Tennessee. The surface 
is undulating ; the soil sandy and slightly calcareous, tender and easily washed, dark 
-chocolate in color and highly productive. No hard rocks except local masses of fer- 
ruginous sandstone. The county is watered by the tributaries of Hatchie and Forked 
Deer rivers. The timber is oak and hickory, with some beech, ash and poplar. Pro- 
'ductions — cotton, corn, wheat, timothy, herds-grass and some clover. Peaches, pears 
and grapes grow and yield well. Cotton is the great staple ; average yield about 600 
pounds in seed. Average price of best lands, per acie, is twenty-five dollars; medium, 
twelve to twenty dollars ; inferior, five to twelve dollars. There are two railroads in 
operation in the county, the Mobile and Ohio, and the Mississippi Central, both of 
which run through the suburbs of Jackson. This only has a population of 7,000 in- 
habitants, and does a business amounting to over $7,000,000 annually. This one of tl» 
richest counties in West Tennessee. 



McNAIEY COUNTY. 

Organized 1823. County-seat, Purdy — It comprises about 645 square miles, or 4i2,- 
800 acres. Exclusive of towns lots, the number of acres assessed for taxation is 402,- 
076, valued at $1,753,550, or $4.33 per acre. The whole value of taxable property for 
the year 1873 was $2,161,269. Population in 1873—12,726, of which 1,500 were col- 
ored. Topographically, this county is very much like Henderson, and belongs to the 
•cretaceous formation. The Tennessee Eidge passes throng it. The soil is mellow and 
Bandy in the northern and eastern parts of the county and of a light hue. In the south 
the soil is dark and rich, and in west brown and highly productive. The sandy soils 
are best for cotton. The green sand is found in this county to a larger extent than else- 
•where in the State, (see page 16.) In the western part of the county pine timber pre- 



86 Resources of Tennessee. 

vails ; in the other sections oak, hickory, ash, chestnut, etc. The price of best bottom 
lands, per acre, is twenty to thirty dollars ; medium do, fifteen to twenty-five dollars; 
inferior do, ten to fifteen dollars ; best uplands, fifteen to twenty dollars ; medium do, 
eight to twelve dollars ; inferior do, three to six dollars. The staple of McNairy county 
is cotton, though a good deal of corn is raised ; some wheat and tobacco are also grown.. 
Irish and sweet potatoes are raised for family use. The Mobile and Ohio Eailroad 
passes through near the center of the county, from north-west to south-east. The Mem- 
phis and Charleston passes through the extreme south-western districts from west to 
east, and a narrow gauge road is being built from Memphis, which will pass through the 
town of Montezuma. Purdy has a population of 500. 



OBION COUNTY. 

Organized 1823. Gmmty-seat, Troy — This is one of the northern tier of counties of- 
West Tennessee, and is one of the most fertile in the State. Its entire superficial area 
embraces 560 square miles, but at least 36 square miles are covered by Eeelfoot Lake, 
which separates this county from Lake on the west. The number of acres assessed for 
taxation is 296,278, valued at $3,631,149, or $12.26 per acre. The entire value of tax- 
able property is $4,529,800. The population of the county in 1870 was 15,584, of which 
2,182 were colored. Except in the western part of the county bordering the lake, the 
surface is level or slightly rolling. Near the lake it rises in sharp ridges with long 
narrow valleys between. The soil may be put into three classes, according to color : 
the black, mulatto and ashen. The black and mulatto are about equal in fertility, the 
former being preferred for corn and orchard-grass, the latter for cotton and small grain. 
While the black yields a larger number of pounds of tobacco per acre, the mulatto will- 
grow a silkier and finer article. Both are well suited for the growth of timothy, clover and 
the grasses generally, though for the growth of timothy and herds-grass the ashen col- 
ored soil is specially adapted. The black is very porous, drains easily, and for that 
reason may be worked earlier in the spring. It also has a greater depth. The mulatto 
is quick, lively, generous, but not deep. It holds fertilizers well, and is altogether very 
desirable. The ashen needs to be drained, (see pages 15 and 16.) This county is noted 
for its superior timber trees, which consist of poplar, oak, gum, beech, walnut, sugar 
tree, cypress and hickory. The undergrowth is cane and pawpaw mainly. Every pror 
duct grown in the State can be grown with profit in Obion. Corn, wheat, oats, tobacco, 
cotton, rye, buckwheat, clover and all the grasses do well. The dense growth of the 
timber and the difficulty of opening land have retarded agricultural development in this- 
county. Lands range in price, improved and unimproved, from two to fifty dollars per 
acre. Obion river and its tributaries water the county. Eeelfoot Lake extends for a 
distance of eighteen miles on the western border. Union City is the principal town with 
a population of 2,500. The railroads are the Nashville and Northwestern, Mobile and, 
Ohio, and Memphis and Paducah. All pass through the heart of the county. 



SHELBY COUNTY. 

Okganized 1820. County-seat, Memphis — This is the wealthiest county in the State, and 
one of the largest. It occupies the extreme south-western corner, and embraces an area 
of 720 square miles. The number of acres assessed for taxation, exclusive of town lots, 
for 1873, was 442,534, valued at $9,546,311, or $21.57 per acre. The number of town 
lots was 8,455, valued at $24,057,937. The total valuation for 1873 was $38,553,951, or 
over one-third of the taxable property in West Tennessee, and over one-eighth of ail 
the taxable property in the State. The population in 1870 was 76,378, of which 36,540 
were colored. The general surface of the county is that of a gently undulating plain, 
interspersed with some half dozen creeks, two rivers, and a number of water-courses, 
great gullies, dry half the year, miscalled bayous, which serve to rapidly drain off" the 
excess of rainfall. There is a reasonable amount of flat alluvial soil along the creek 
bottoms and the rivers, especially that part facing the Mississippi river in the south- 
western quarter of the county. The hills or rolling lands are usually of a clay loam,, 
resting on a reddish-yellow brick clay. The alluvial soils, composed of vegetable mould, 
and sand, are as rich as any in the world. Some of them have produced fifty- 
consecutive crops of corn and cotton, yet show but little signs of impoverishment. 
There is a moderate amount of warm, sandy soils, suitable for any sort of crops which. 



JVest Tennessee. 87 

flourish on such. In and around the village of Ealeigh is a series of high, dry, sandy 
hills, most admirably suited, when fertilized and properly tilled, to produce orchard 
products, berries, melons and garden stuffs. Cotton is the staple of the county. The 
cabbage and cauliflower are excellent, and of course the warm weather, continuing so 
long, matures in fine style lima beans, melons, cucumbers and other garden products 
native of the sub-tropical countries. Grains, including all food crops for man and 
beast, and also the root crops, do finely. 

The timber" consists of walnut, ash, C3rpress, dogwood, maple, oak, poplar, hickory, 
locust, gum, Cottonwood, etc. Around the city of Memphis the prices of lands vary 
from $500 to $3,000 per acre. In the more remote, or properly the staple farming por- 
tions of the county, the cost of improved places is from $10 to $50 per acre. Timber 
lands near the city are very costly, but farther away and not near a railroad, or a navi- 
gable stream, they may be purchased usually for from $5 to $10 per acre. Under the 
present culture, the old uplands, fifty years under culture, average the yield of about 
200 pounds of cotton passed through the gin and ready to bale for export ; from ten to 
twelve bushels of wheat, and fifteen to thirty-five bushels of corn per acre. The yield 
of the rich sandy loams along Big creek, the Wolf, Hatchie and Mississippi rivers is of 
a character satisfactory to the most parsimonious. Hatchie and "Wolf rivers enter the 
Mississippi on the northern confines of Memphis. Farms along these streams, and es- 
pecially those north of Wolf river and along its tributary. Big creek, in the northern 
and north-western districts of the county, are wonderfully productive, often yielding a 
bale of cotton per acre. There is no better country for grapes, peaches, summer apples, 
blackberries, raspberrries and strawberries. There are several vineyards and fruit, 
farms in the county. The various grasses, including clover, do well upon bottomlands,. 
Vegetables are largely raised. Dairy farming in the neighborhood of Memphis is very 
profitable. 

The i-ailroads are the Memphis and Charleston, the Memphis and Louisville, the 
Mississippi and Tennessee, all old roads, and several others in process of construction,, 
and others as yet existing only on paper. The " "Great Father of Waters," which 
bounds the county on the west, forms the main channel of commerce. 

Memphis is the metropolitan city of the State, and has a population of 65,000 inhab- 
itants. An idea of the extent and volume of business in Memphis may be gleaned from 
the following statement of annual sales : 

Cotton, 440,000 bales worth $32,000,000 

Groceries, liquors and western produce 12,500,000 

Dry goods, clothing, boots and shoes, and miscellaneous mer- 
chandise 15,000,000 

Home manafactured articles 3,500,000 

Total $63,000,000 

The public schools are excellent and attended by over 2,500 pupils. The growth of 
Memphis has been marvelous. In 1850 the population was 6,427, and taxable values 
$4,600,000 ; in 1860, population 22,643, and taxable property $21,500,000 ; in 1870,, 
population 40,371 (not including from 8,000 to 10,000 absentees at the time of taking 
the census,) and taxable wealth $24,783,190, while to-day, the population in the city 
and immediate environs is at least 65,000, and the taxable wealth $29,801,592. 



TIPTON COUNTY. 

Organized 1823. Omnty-seat, Covington — Tipton belongs to that belt of counties bor- 
dering on the Mississippi river so remarkable for the exuberant fertility of soil, and 
forests of magnificent trees. It has an area of about 440 square miles, about 70 of 
which are in the Mississippi Bottoms. The number of acres, exclusive of town lots, as- 
sessed for taxation is 270,704, valued at $2,763,155, or about $10.20 per acre. The total 
value of taxable property for 1873 was $3,354,682. Population in 1870—14,884, of 
which 6,891 were colored. This county lies mainly on the Plateau or Slope of West 
Tennessee. The extreme western, much the smaller portion is in the low alluvial 
plain or bottom of the Mississippi river. The plateau portion is from 130 to 200 
feet above the other, and terminates in a bold escarpment, facing the bottom of the 
Mississippi. It is watered by Hatchie river and tributaries. The prevailing color of 
the soil in this county is dark, but not black, and the prevailing color of the sub-soil is 



88^ Resources of Tennessee. 

yellowish. In the north-eastern and western districts, however, there is found a differ- 
ent soil and sub-soil, the former being of a reddish or brown tinge, while the sub-soil is 
a rich red clay. Along the water-courses east of the bluff, the dark soil predominates, 
and west of the bluff, in the bottoms, it is almost black. The reddish or brown lands 
are regarded as the best for cotton, while the darker lands are thought to be the beet 
for corn. The soil, timber, crops and price of land are almost the same as in Lauder- 
dale. Fruits grow well. Almost every farm-house has an orchard. The varieties of 
fruit most prized, are the peach, apple, plum and cherry. Berries grow in every sec- 
tion of the county. 



WEAKLEY COUNTY. 

Oeganized 1821. County-seat, Dresden — This is one of the northern counties of West 
Tennessee, and contains about 550 square miles. Acres assessed for taxation in 1873 
—337,387, valued at $3,653,464, or $10.80 per acre. The whole value of taxable prop- 
erty, $4,100,065. Population in 1870—20,755 ; colored, 3,899. A fraction has been 
taken from the county since that time. Weakley is a good representative or type of the 
great sloping Plateau of West Tennessee. Its general surface is level with a gentle in- 
clination to the west. There are, however, some sections which are more or less rough 
and hilly. Immediately around Dresden the country is considerably broken, and in 
the north-eastern part of the county the surface is hilly. The western portion of the 
county contains much more good land than the eastern. West of Dresden the lands are 
generally rich. In some parts the principal growth is black oak, interspersed with white 
oak, post oak, hickory, black gum and dogwood, with but few poplars ; in other parts 
there are large quantities of poplar, white oak, beech and sweet gum, (well adapted for 
cutting into lumber,) together with hickory, post oak, black gum and dogwood. The 
lands presenting the last growth are generally level, and well adapted to the raising of 
corn, tobacco and wheat. The barren land east of Dresden is well adapted to the grow- 
ing of corn, wheat, cotton, and the very finest quality of tobacco. This, however, does 
not grow so large as on the poplar lands in the western part of of the county. Best im- 
proved lands sell for twenty-five to thirty dollars per acre ; medium do, twelve to fifteen 
dollars ; inferior do, five to twelve dollars. Corn, tobacco, wheat, cotton, oats, rye, pea- 
nuts, sweet and Irish potatoes, as well as the various grasses are grown in the county. 
The Nashville and Northwestern Railroad passes through the county diagonally from 
south-east to north-west. The Mississippi Central Railroad passes through it, running 
on a line a little west of the center, crossing the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad 
at Martin's depot, between Gardner's Station and Raulston's. The Memphis and 
Louisville Railroad just touches the extreme south-east corner of the county, crossing 
the first named at McKenzie, in Carroll county. Dresden has a population of 500. 



MINERALS OF TENNESSEE. 



COAL. 

Under the stimulating effect of a brilliant sun, a humid climate 
and an atmosphere charged with carbonic acid, myriads of ages 
before man appeared, vast forests, gorgeous in their beauty and dense 
in their foilage, sprung up in widely extended swamps, flourished for 
a time, decayed and made thick mats of slimy organic matter. Earth- 
quakes with tumultuous throes upheaved mountains and produced de- 
pressions. These depressions were swept over by the huge waves of a 
stormy ocean, depositing their burdens of sand, gravel, and clayey mat- 
ter upon the vegetable mass. Oscillations afterwards elevated this sand 
and clay-covered deposit, and vegetable life appeared, to be at some 
remote period again submerged. These processes continued through 
ages, the deposits of earthy matter weighing down and shutting out 
from the influence of the atmosphere and the light of day the remains 
of plant-life, in which condition they were transmuted into coal. Such 
is the theory of geologists in regard to the formation of bituminous 
coal, and doubtless a true one, as the same process in all of its stages 
may be found going on at the present day. Anthracite coal is the 
bituminous coal cooked under pressure and subterranean heat. 

By far the most important coal field in America is the Appalachian, 
extending in a north-east and south-west direction a distance of 875 
miles through the western part of Pennsylvania, the eastern part of 
Ohio, the western corner of Maryland, nearly all of West Virginia, 
and the eastern part of Kentucky. It crosses Tennessee, and ends near 
Tuscaloosa, in Alabama. It covers an area of 80,000 square miles, 
60,000 being available. This is about ten times the area of the pro- 
ductive coal fields of Great Britian. The area of this coal-field, in 
Tennessee, is 5,100 square miles, and includes within its limits the 
counties of Scott, Morgan and Cumberland, the greater parts of Fen- 
• tress. Van Buren, Bledsoe, Grundy, Sequatchie and Marion, consider- 
able parts of Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson, Khea, Koane, Overton, 
Hamilton, Putnam, White and Franklin, and small portions of War- 
ren and Coffee — twenty-one in all. It is co-extensive with the Cum- 



Coal. 91 

berland Table-land, the third natural division of the State, and forms 
an irregular quadrilateral 71 miles wide at the northern end, and 50' 
at the southern. 

This Cumberland Table-land has generally a broad flat top, capped 
with a layer of conglomerate sandstone, averaging perhaps seventy- 
feet in thickness. This layer of sandstone on the edges of the Tabler- 
land forms a steep escarpment or brow, bold, distinct, and well marked 
from 20 to 100, and sometimes 200 feet high. Beneath this often over- 
hanging brow the steep, woody slopes of the sides begin and run down 
to the low lands. These slopes below the cliffs usually rest against the 
lower Coal Measures and upon the Mountain Limestone. The eastern 
outline of this Cumberland Table-land, as may be seen by the acconi- 
paning Map, is a nearly direct line, bulging out in a graceful curve, 
and taking in portions of Roane, Anderson and Campbell counties. 
The western edge is jagged, notched by innumerable coves and valleys, 
and presenting a scalloped or ragged contour, with outlying knobs sep- 
arated from the main Table-land by deep ravines or fissures. In the 
southern portion, near the eastern side, is a deep gorge, canoe-shaped,, 
with steep escarpments rising 800 to 1,000 feet above the valley, 
through which the Sequatchie river flows. This is the Sequatchie Val- 
ley, which separates the lower end of the Table-land into two distinct 
arms. Through the eastern arm the Tennessee Eiver breaks, and after 
flowing down the "Valley, which is an extension of the Sequatchie 
Valley, for a distance of sixty miles, turns at Guntersville, Alabama,. 
and soon afterwards cuts through the western arm fifty miles from the 
Tennessee line. This Sequatchie Trough is 160 miles in length, the 
Tennessee end being sixty miles, and the Alabama end one hundred. 

The eastern arm of the coal-field, on the western side of which this 
remarkable valley passes, . is six or eight miles wide. Between the 
Tennessee river and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, it is 
called Raccoon Mountain. Separated from this by Wills' Valley, 
rises up in massive proportions, Lookout Mountain. The latter is 
an outlier of the Cumberland Table-land, and geologically is closely 
allied to it. 

Passing now to the north-east corner of the coal region, we find a 
quadrilateral block dissevered from the mountain mass by the valleys 
of Elk Fork and Cove creek, the former running north-east and 
emptying into the Cumberland river, the latter running south-east into 
the Clinch river. Through this pass the route for the Cincinnati 
Southern railroad has been surveyed. 

The average height of the Cumberland Table-land is two thousand 
feet above tide-water, but some of the ridges of the north-eastern part 
rise to a much greater height, reaching at places, as at Cross Mountain,, 
3,370 feet, and at Coal creek, 3,500 feet. The Valley of Cove creek 
is 2,300 feet lower than the high points of Cross Mountain. The part 
of the Valley of East Tennessee contiguous to the mountain is about 
1,000 feet above the sea, so that, viewed from that Valley, the Cum- 
berland Table-land stands out with singular boldness and sharpness of 



•92 Minerals of Tennessee. 

•outline. Everywhere in the northern part it is marked by a succes- 
sion of cliffsj elevated one above the other, with intervening wooded 
slopes. On the eastern side, parallel with the main mountain mass, 
and separated from it by a narrow vale, is a steep, roof-like sandstone 
ridge, with the layers upturned on their edges, and resembling a huge 
military work protecting the main mountain from incursions from the 
Valley of East Tennessee, the only access being through a few gaps 
like that of Coal creek. This ridge is known as Walden's Ridge. 
Following this ridge southward, the name is applied to the whole 
^rm between Sequatchie Valley and the Valley of East Tennessee. 

We have said that this coal region is sheeted with a thick conglom- 
erate sandstone, but upon this sheet, a short distance from the edges of 
the precipices, other strata are superimposed, rising in some places, 
1,000 feet above the conglomerate or general surface, and forming, as 
it were, mountains upon the top of the Table-land. Cross Mountain 
is one of these. 

In the northern part of the coal region its plateau character is de- 
stroyed by these superincumbent mountains. For many miles Cross 
Mountain, especially in the counties of Anderson and Campbell, forms 
the eastern escarpment of the main coal region, though Walden's 
Ridge, which runs parallel with it, contains some coal, but in it the 
coal always dips at a high angle. 

But without going further into details as to the topographical fea- 
tures of this coal-bearing area, we return to its general features, in 
order that the reader may have a clear conception of it. First swell- 
ing up from the lowlands and forming the base of this plateau, is the 
massive Mountain Limestone, from 400 feet at the northern end to 
720 at the southern extremity in thickness, extending one-third, and 
sometimes two-thirds of the way up to the general top. Then come 
strata of shale, sandstane, interstratified with seams of coal, the whole 
capped by the thick conglomerate before mentioned. These strata be- 
tween the Mountain Limestone and the overcapping conglomerate 
sandstone, are called the Lower Coal Measures. The mountains and 
ridges made up of strata of coal, shale, fire-clay, sandstone and clay 
iron-stones that are superimposed upon the conglomerate, are called 
the Upper Coal Measures. Coal Measure may be defined to be a group 
of strata, in which the coal is interstratified. The coal often appears 
in beds so thin as not to be workable. These beds, sometimes, how- 
ever, swell out locally to great thicknesses. 

Recurring again to the building up or formation of this coal plateau, 
^t the risk of being tedious to the reader familiar with it, we shall en- 
deavor to give a clearer idea by an illustration. Suppose a long, nar- 
row table to be placed on the ground, sitting longitudinally north-east 
and south-west. Build up under this table a stone foundation with a 
sloping surface, lower at the northern end, but reaching half way to 
the top of the table at the southern extremity. Upon this foundation 
pile up sheets of plank until they touch its under surface. The stone 
foundation will represent the Mountain Limestone, the sheets of plank 



Coal. .95: 

tlie Lower Coal Measures, and the top of the table the thick conglom- 
erate cover. 

Thin blocks piled on the table top, a short distance from the edge, 
at some places higher, at some lower, being greatly higher near the 
north-east corner, will represent the Upper Coal Measures. Now, if a 
little to the east of the longitudinal middle line a wide gash were cut 
down to the ground through piles of blocks, the table top, sheets 
of plank, and masonry, from its middle, southward, dividing the 
southern part of this mass into two parallel but unequal arms, this 
gash would represent the Sequatchie Valley, the eastern arm taking 
the name of W alden's Eidge. A similar gash in the north-east cor- 
ner, running north-east, would represent Elk Fork Yalley. From the 
head of this valley, if another were cut running south-east, it would 
represent Cove Creek Valley, both together cutting off the quadri- 
lateral block referred to. 

It may here be stated that wherever the highest ridges and moun- 
tains upon the general surface of the Cumberland Table Land are 
found, the conglomerate has been depressed, and sinks to a lower level 
than where there is no superincumbent weight. 

The reader is now able to appreciate the following section entirely 
through both Coal Measures. The section was traced out near the 
Sewanee Mines, in Grundy county, by Dr. Safford, and is found in his 
Geological Report. It is the most complete section of both Coal 
Measures yet found in this part of the coal-field, though the Upper 
Coal Measures in the north-eastern portion of the coal regions have 
more beds, sometimes reaching as high as twenty-one. At other 
places, some of the strata thin out and disappear. Beginning at the 
top and descending, as though in a well or shaft, we have Sewanee 
Section. 



(13) CoNGiiOMEEATE ; cap rock of the upper plateau, and the up- 
permost stratum in the region 50 feet. 

12) Coal, a few inches, (G)...: 

11) Shale 23 feet. 

(10) Coal, outcrop, (P) ^ foot. 

(9) Dm-h Clayey Shale 1 foot. 

(8) Sandy Shale 25 feet. 

(7) Sandstone 86 feet. 

(6) iSAafe, more or less sandy 45 feet. 

5) Coal, Main Sewanee, fTom (E) 3to7ft. 

4) Shale,SQineot it sandy 45 feet. 

3) Coal, outcrop, (D) 1 foot. 

2^ Shale 3 feet. 

1) Sandstone 17 feet. 



El 



We here reach the bottom of the upper Coal Measures, and come to 
the thick conglomerate that caps the whole coal region. Descending, 
we pass successively through 



94 



Minerals of Tennessee. 



es « 



03 00 






CONGLOMERATE 70 feet. 

(10) Coal, outcrop, from (C) .' ^tolft. 

(9) iS'Aafe, with clay at top 10 feet. 

Sandstone, Qlig Bock, [Lower Gong, of ^tna Mines) 65 feet. 

Coal, outcrop, from (B) Jtol^ft. 

Shale, with a few inches of indurated clay at top 8 feet. 

(5) Sandy Shale 22 feet. 

4) Sandstone, hard ! 78 feet. 

3) Coal, has occasionally shale above and below it; the Coal 

from (A) 1 to 3 ft, 

(2) Hard Sandstone, local 20 feet. 

i_ (1) <Siktfe, including a thin sandstone 20 feet. 



MOUNTAIN LIMESTONE. 

The last or the Mountain Limestone forms the pedestal, as it were, 
upon which the Coal Measures rest. 

Including the Upper and Lower Coal Measures, there are seven 
strata of coal, aggregating a thickness of from seven to fourteen and a 
half feet. Many of these beds, however, are too thin to work, and 
-are given merely to show the extent of the Coal Measures. 




The above cut is a representation of the entire Coal Measures as ex- 
hibited at this region. It will be observed that the main conglom- 
erate, which has been spoken of as forming a sheet over the whole 
Cumberland Table-land, divides the Upper from the Lower Coal 
Measures; and furthermore that the seams below the conglomerate are 
lenticular in character, while those above are more uniform in thick- 
ness. If additional strata were piled upon the portion above the con- 
glomerate, including not far from a dozen beds and seams of coal, it 
would be a fair representation of the Upper Measures as found at Coal 



Coal. 95 

Creek, in Anderson. The second coal (bed E) above the conglomerate 
is the Main Sewanee, the only one which has been worked so far at 
this point. The second below (bed B) corresponds, it is thought, 
to the Main -3Etna. The escarpment or slope represented in the 
engraving is typical of the slope on the western side of the Table- 
land, in which appear successively the wooded slope, the vertical or 
overhanging conglomerate, which forms such conspicuous cliffs, the 
back bench and the Upper Measure. The level portion above the main 
conglomerate may be considered as the general surface of the Table- 
land ; but, as will be seen from the engraving, there lies, at a greater 
or less distance from the edge, superimposed strata that make consid- 
erable hills, which often present themselves as a well defined terrace. 
It may be added for clearness, though involving some repetition, that 
the main conglomerate in the north-eastern part of the Table-land 
sinks to a lower level while the strata are so multiplied as to make 
mountains. In the Sewanee section, the conglomerate is about 800 
feet above the low lands at the base of the Table-land, while at Coal 
Creek, and at other points to the north-east, it comes down to the 
level of the valleys. 

Sewanee Mines. The outcrop of the coal at these mines is 1,922 
feet above the sea. The tops of the highest rocks in the vicinity reach 
an elevation of 2,161 feet. This property consists of 25,000 acres of 
land, nearly every foot of which is underlaid with coal. ^The seam 
worked at present extends over 8,000 acres. A railway 21 miles long 
belongs to the property, and connects Tracy City with Cowan, a village 
<m the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, 87 miles south of Nashville. 

The main Sewanee seam will average about 4J feet. Its largest de- 
velopment is 10 feet 4 inches, and least 2 feet. Wherever the coal is 
thickest the superincumbent mountains are low, and the laminae of the 
<;oal are more disturbed. Under the heaviest weight the coal is often 
very thin. When the weight above is constant, the .seam is very reg- 
ular and unvarying in its thickness. The seam has a general dip to 
•the north-east of about eight feet to the mile. 

There are 405 persons employed at these mines, (May, 1876), 210 of 
-whom are convicts. A population of 1,800 is supported by the mining 
operations at this place, and here is found the best market for farm 
products on the Cumberland mountains. The average clay's work for 
the coal miner is eighty -two bushels of coal. The screenings are made 
into coke, there being about 4,000 bushels made daily. The company 
at present has 120 ovens, and the coke is shipped to Alabama, Chatta- ' 
nooga, and other points, and is used in the manufacture of iron, for 
which purpose it is said to be very superior, owing to its freedom from 
sulphur and other impurities. The coal is rather singular in its struc- 
ture, being soft and shelly, with contorted laminse and a polished shin- 
ing surface. It is very pure, showing about 65 per cent, of carbon 
and only about 6 per cent, of ash. As a coking coal it is equal to any 
in the State. It is now used for the manufacture of gas at the Insane 
Asylum, near Nashville, and for more than a year was used at the gas 



96 



Minerals of Tennessee. 



works in Nashville. The manager, in a statement made to the com- 
pany, says that by the addition of resin it is equal to the best Pittsburg 
coal for making gas. For manufacturing purposes and for grates it is 
highly esteemed. It is very dry and its specific gravity is below the 
average. The waste in digging is considerable, but this is used in the 
manufacture of coke. 

Coal (the run of the mines) is delivered at the following prices : 

To Cowan per bus. 6J to 7c. 

" Chattanooga " 9 to 10c. 

"Nashville " 10 to lie. 

Coke is delivered at the following rates : 

To Cowan per bus. 5 to 6c. 

" Chattanooga " 7c. 

" Rising Fawn Furnace, Ala " OJc. 

" Bartow Furnace, near Atlanta, Ga " 10c. 

The subjoined table shows the amount of coal which has been raised 
and shipped from these mines since they were first opened in June, 1866 : 

SHIPMENTS FROM SEWANEE MINES. 



DO 

1 


1866 
Cars 


1867 
Cars 

340 

268 
219 
268 
286 
239 
201 
208 
406 
369 
453 
368 

3625 


1868 

Cars 

437 
358 
434 
266 
255 
231 
230 
254 
347 
261 
557 
428 

4085 


1869 

Cars 

408 
388 
408 
243 
119 
110 
136 
191 
293 
428 
462 
502 

3688 


1870 

Cars 

502 
367 
538 
364 
237 
245 
225 
179 
302 
546 
642 
564 

4711 


1871 

Cars 

452 
501 
362 
327 
346 
346 
297 
457 
656 
780 
870 
800 

6194 


1872 


1873 
Cars 


1874 
Cars 


1875 


1876 


■.i 


Cars 


Cars 


Cars 






866 

936 

850 

795 

646 

495 

781 

893 

877 

1,054 

1,055 

1,004 


1204 

1107 

927 

822 
788 
531 
564 
.^57 
1008 
930 
834 
546 


781 
719 
646 
653 
617 
587 
622 
778 
849 
1014 
1129 
942 


941 

1,000 

602 

913 

580 

557 

631 

913 

1,011 

1,287 

1,280 

1,195 


1144 


Febi'uary 




1181 


March 




1^70 


4pril 




^m'>, 






11*^0 


June 


68 
42 
115 
123 
162 
189 
225 

924 




July 




























Totals 


10,252 


9938 


9337 


10,910 





The grand total for ten years is 69,401 cars, or 694,010 tons. Less 
than 200 acres have been mined. This seam on the company's lands 
will supply 27,000,000 tons yet before exhaustion, and this without 
tapping any of the seams of the Lower Measures. 

The value of the coal as a coking coal, as well as for making steam, 
being now settled, and the quantity of coal being practically inexhaus- 
tible, and the railroad of this company being the key to more than 
50,000 acres of coal — all of superior quality — far surpassing all the 
other coal fields of Tennessee, the future growth of this company, and 
the immense value of the enterprise to the prosperity of Tennessee, are 
assured facts. By lateral or branch roads, and by opening other mines, 
the business of the company may be made to the South what the Read- 
ing Railroad is to Pennsylvania. The company has five locomotives 



Coal. 97 

and about 149 cars. At the mines a town containing a population of 
1200 has been built up. 

South of the Sewanee Mines, near the Anderson depot, on the 
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, is a section which has four coal 
seams, and so of a section taken at a point a mile east of the lower end 
of Battle Creek, and at the ^tna Mines. In the northern part of 
Grundy and in Warren county, the veins are reduced to two, and the 
whole volume of the Measures reduced from 360 feet to fifty. 

The beds of the Lower Coal Measures are quite- variable, irregular 
and of often deceptive. They sometimes swell out into lentiform mas- 
ses are five, six, seven, and even greater thickness, and then diminish 
to a mere thin plate. The quality of the coal is not highly bituminous,^ 
generally, but compact, solid, and burns freely. The quantity of coal 
in the Lower Coal Measures is quite large, and there are some heavy 
local developments of this coal in the valley of the Little Sequatchie 
Creek, which rises near Tracy City, runs south, and empties into the 
Sequatchie river a short distance above Jasper. In one place the coal 
is five feet in thickness, and in another locality it shows itself beneath 
the cliflP nine feet thick, exposing a horizontial layer for the distance 
of forty feet. In the valley of Crow creek, near Anderson depotj on 
the Nashville and Chattanooga Hailroad, a bed in the Lower Coal 
Measures 160 feet below the conglomerate, from two to five feet in 
thickness, has been worked, but operations, except for local demand, 
have been discontinued at that point. The quality of this coal is said 
to be excellent, being lustrous and laminated by thin seams of 
mineral charcoal. Some pyrites, in seams, occur in this bed. This 
stratum thickens further south, and in one place in Alabama it was 
found to measure seven feet, soon, however, thinning down to two. 

At the head of Little Crow a bed two feet in thickness supplies an 
excellent quality of coal. The valley of Battle creek supplies a large 
amount of coal from the Lower Coal Measures. The shipments by 
the Chattanooga Railroad from Bridgeport, the point to which all the 
coal from that region is sent by the Jasper Branch, amounted for the 
year ending June 30, 1873, to 279,480 bushels, of which 270,241 
bushels were from the Battle Creek Mines. ' 

The JEtjsta Mines. These mines are in Marion county, thirteen 
miles from Chattanooga, near the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, 
and between it and the Tennessee River, in what is called Raccoon 
Mountain. They were first opened in 1854, and are now worked by 
J. C. Haselton, who employs from 100 to 150 hands. The Upper 
Measures contain the Walker seam, four feet in thickness ; the Slate 
Vein, five to six feet, with eighteen inches of slate and coal mixed, 
and the Kelly coal, two or three feet — the Kelly coal being the lowest. 
These beds are all above the upper conglomerate, which is here simply 
a sandstone seventy-five feet in thickness. Between this conglomerate 
and the lower conglomerate, which is the same that caps the coal re- 
gion, are two thin seams of coal, unimportant. Below the last 
named conglomerate are four beds of coal. First in order of descent 
7 



98 Minerals of Tennessee. 

is the Main JEtna or Cliff, which in its outcrop around the mountain, 
made a fine presentation and averaged probably three, feet in thickness. 
It proved, however, deceptive and as the drifts advanced from, the 
outcrops inwards, the seam diminished to a feather edge and soon be- 
came too thin to work, as though the superincumbent weight of the 
mountain mass had forced the bed of coal when in a plastic state, from 
the center outwards, so that a vertical section of the stratum would be 
cuneiform or wedge shaped. The coal has all been worked out and 
the seam abandoned. Twenty feet below this, the intervening strata 
being composed of shale,. is a bed of coal from one-half to a foot in 
thickness. 

Two more beds lie below this, from both of which coal has been 
taken. In the lowest a bank was opened, which at first was six feet 
in thickness, increased to nine, and then fell oif to three, showing the 
lenticular characteristics of the seams of the Lower Measures. This 
locality is interesting as showing nine dfetinct beds, five of which are 
of workable thickness. From this point a very large amount of coal 
has been taken from the Lower Measures, peculiar in its structure. 
The laminse of this coal are separated by seams of charcoal resembling 
that made of poplar wood, fuzzy or soft and spongy. The coal is of 
good quality and comparatively free from pyrites. The shipments 
from these mines have been as high as 367 cars per month, or 91,750 
bushels, but now amount to 250 cars per month, or 62,500 bushels. 
About one-half of the coal is made into coke, which commends itself 
to foundrymen and furnacemen, on account of its superior quality, con- 
taining as it does ninety per cent, of fixed carbon and only about three- 
fourths of one per cent, of sulphur. This coal is highly prized by 
blacksmiths and a demand for it comes from points as far distant as 
New Orleans and St. Louis. 



The section at this place, as taken by Dr. Safford, is as follows : 



P 



% 



8) Sandstone, cap-rock of plateau above the ^tna Mines 75 feet 

7) Shale 48 " 

6) Coal, " Walker Coal;" uniform, good, cubic 4 " 

5) Shale, including sometimes a thin coal, (Cravens) from ....30 to 40 ". 

4) Coal, " Slate Vein;" including a layer eighteen inches thick, of 

shale and coal mixed 5 to 6 " 

3) Shale ■ -44 " 

2J Coal, " Kelly Coal;" good, cubical coal, from 2 to 3 |' 

(l) Fire-clay, h-om 1 to 2 

UPPER CONGLOMERATE, simply a sandstone here 75 . " 

(4) Coal, seam, a few inches. 

(3 Shale 30 to 40 « 

(2) Coal, seam, ten inches. 

(1) Sandy Shale, from 100 to 130 « 



-•73 -4^ 






C^<2;/. 99 

LOWER CONGLOMERATE, Cliff Bock of the sections east of 

Sequatchie valley 70 to 100 " 

(14) Shale, sometimes wanting, the rock above making the roof, the 

coal from to 12 " 

(13) Coal, Main iEtna, or Cliff Vein; will average, near the out- 
crop, perhaps 3 " 

(12) -Fire-clay, indurated, contains StigTnaria, often with rootlets at- 
tached ; hasbeen made into good fire-brick 1 to 3 " 

Shale 5 to 20 " 

Coal, thin J to 1 " 

Sandstone and Sandy Shale 80 to 120 " 

Shale Oto5 " 

Coal, of good quality, usually too thin to be mined, from i to 2 " 

Mre-elay to 3 " 

(5) Sandy Shale or Sandstone 20 to 25 " 

(4) Shale .15 to 20 *' 

(3) Coal, lowest bed like the last, and banks have been opened in 

both ^to3 " 

^2^ Fire-clay to 3 " 

(1) Shales and Shaly Sandstones 80 to 150 " 

Mountain Limestone Formation. 

Variegated Shales and Limestones in the Valley of Running Water. 

In the deep gorge made by the Tennessee river, where it cuts its 
way through Walden's Ridge, the same presentation of coal beds 'ap- 
pears. The one corresponding, it is thought to the Main ^tna has 
been worked to some extent, and the coal shipped by the Tennessee 
river. 

The Vulcan Mines. These mines are in Marion county, sixteen 
miles from Chattanooga, and near the railroad leading from the latter 
point to Nashville. They were jfirst opened in 1868. They are worked 
by Badge & Eaton, who employ about sixty-five hands. The product 
of these mines for the year 1873, was 365,000 bushels, (eighty pounds 
to the bushel,) the market for which is Chattanooga and points south. 
Considerable quantities have also been sold to the Nashville and Chat- 
tanooga Railroad for use on locomotives. 

The seam worked at present is two and a half feet in thickness. 
There are three other seams in the mountain that are known, the 
heaviest of which is about three and a half feet thick. The other two 
average about ten inches each, though' a careful examination would 
doubtless show their lentiform character. 

Shoal Mines. These were opened in September, 1873. They lie 
six miles north-east from Chattanooga. There are four seams in 
view; the upper one, four and a half feet thick, is the one worked. 
When first opened, the coal from this bed was soft and friable, but 
became harder as the entry advanced. The outcrop of the seam is 
only eighteen inches in thickness. It swelled out to five and a half 
feet, and then went to four and a half feet. It has remained regular 
since reaching that thickness. The dip of the bed is about five de- 
grees outwards, just enough to secure good drainage. The mines are 
not worked at present, owing to the want of transportation. The 
lowest bed at this point was worked by the government during the 
^ar. 



lOO Minerals of Tennessee. 

SoDDY Ceeek Mines. These are in Hamilton county, on Soddy 
Creek, twenty miles above Chattanooga, and four miles from the Ten- 
nessee river. A tram-road leads down to Soddy creek, where the coal 
is dumped into barges and shipped by the creek to the river, thence 
to Chattanooga and other points south. 

This coal is regularly stratified, bituminous, and burns freely. At 
present, about twenty-five hands are kept employed, and 150,000 
bushels per month are exported. The mines were not regularly worked 
until 1866, when a company of energetic Welchmen leased them for 
fifty years, paying a royalty of one cent per bushel. A lump of thi& 
coal weighing 3,600 pounds is exhibited on the streets in Chatanooga. 
The upper surface for four inches is spumous and shelly, the remainder 
of the block is a stratified hard coal, but not cubical. The seam is 
from two and a half to three and a half feet thick. 

Sale Creek Mines. Nine miles north-east of Soddy, on Rocky 
creek, three miles from Tennessee river, in an outlying ridge, are the- 
Sale Creek Mines. The coal from these mines is said to be superior 
for all purposes. It has fine welding properties, and is therefore much 
sought after by blacksmiths. These mines were worked as far back as 
1843; but little coal except for blacksmithing, was consumed in this- 
State at that time. In 1866, Major Thomas A. Brown and Col. John^ 
Baxter, of Knoxville, began to mine the coal for shipment. At pres- 
ent, they are worked by Welchmen, who have leased them, as well as^ 
the Soddy Mines, from Clift, McE,ea & Pearl. Thirty miners are em- 
ployed, all of whom are interested and lessees. The monthly product 
is 50,000 bushels. A tram-road conveys the coal to the river, where 
it is shipped in barges to points below. Much of it is consumed in the 
iron works at Chattanooga. The structure of this coal is peculiar. No 
stratification is observable, but it has the appearance of having been' 
boiled, and resembles hardened blocks of boiled pitch. The thickness 
of this bed is about four feet. 

The Morgan Mines and the mines at Piney are only used for local 
purposes, and contribute but little to the coal product of the State. 
The seams are from two to five feet in thickness. At White's creek, 
there is a bed five and a half feet thick, which is used for local pur- 
poses. At Clear creek there is a fine development of coal. Thia 
property has recently been purchased by Stambaugh, of Youngston, 
Ohio, who contemplates the erection of a furnace at this point. Two 
coal beds have been tested, one showing from five to seven feet in 
thickness, and the other from two to three feet. 

At Richland creek, below Sale Creek Mines, is a stratum of coal 
about three feet thick, and another higher up the mountain Jpom four 
to five feet thick. This property has been recently bought by English 
capitalists. From this point southward, the coal lies in beds nearly 
horizontal. North of this, the strata are greatly disturbed, the coal beds 
forming "horsebacks," and often assuming positions nearly vertical, 
lying sometimes in great masses, and again thinning out to a mere 
wafer. 



Coal. loi 

RocKWooD Mines. Continuing north-easterly from Sale Creek 
Mines, we reach the mines of the Eoane Iron Company, situated in 
Roane county, ninety-two miles, by land, above Chattanooga, and one 
hundred and twenty miles by water. This remarkable body of coal 
was discovered in 1840, by "William Green, an employee of John 
Brown, father of Major Brown, of Chattanooga. Green and "William 
Brown entered the land shortly after its discovery. The coal was soon 
thereafter opened fcr local purposes, and used by blacksmiths until the 
property was purchased by "Wilder & Chamberlain, 1867. These gen- 
tlemen subsequently induced capitalists to enter into business with 
them, and they have incraased their capital from $100,000 to $1,000,- 
OOO. Two blast furnaces are built at this -point, with capacities respect- 
ively of twenty-five and thirty tons per day. The iron ore lies in a 
continous bed, nearly vertical, about four feet in thickness, and is sup- 
posed to be a stratum of a synclinal trough which disappears under 
the Cumberland Table-land, reappearing in the Sequatchie Valley and 
in Elk Fork Yalley. The dip of the iron bed is about eighty de- 
grees,- and inclined towards the mountain mass. This dyestone bed, 
extends from Alabama to Pennsylvania, running a distance through 
Tennessee of 160 miles. Upon the top of many hills it is folded back 
hj lateral pressure so as to resemble a flattened S. A quarter of a 
mile from this iron bed, are seen the outcroppings of the coal. The 
dip of the main Rockwood seam is thirty-five degrees toward the north- 
west. This seam is remarkable for the immense curled masses of coal 
. rolled up between the plications or " horsebacks," and attaining a thick- 
ness of from sixty to one hundred and ten feet. By reason of these 
plications, the dip of the stratum is sometimes locally reversed. Three 
principal entries have been driven in at this place, designated respect- 
ively Banks 1, 2 and 3. 

In Bank No. 1, the main entry is 1,200 yards long, with 1,600 yards 
of cross entries, and more than a mile of rooms. 

Bank No. 2 has a main entry 1,000 feet long, with 575 yards of cross 
entries, and 1,200 yards of rooms. 

Bank No. 3 has an entry 500 yards long, but no cross entries. 

The outcrop of coal above No. 1, is 250 feet; above No. 2, 500 
feet ; above No. 3, 75 to 100 feet. 

North-west of the furnace, at a distance of 1,200 yards, in the bot- 
tom of a small stream that runs down the ravine towards the furnace, 
is a remarkable outcrop of coal, over which the water flows for one 
hundred yards. It is on this mountain stream that a local thickness 
of 110 feet of coal is found. After these thick accumulations, the stra- 
tum thins out to a mere wafer. The coal has a crushed aprearance, and 
though well suited for the purposes for which it is employed, will not 
bear transportation well. An analysis of this coal, as well as of several 
others, will be found further on in this article. 

The number of hands employed at the coal mines at Rockwood is 
eighty, of which number fifty-four are miners. The daily product is 
4.000 bushels, which is brought down by a tram-road to the furnace 



I02 Minerals of Tennessee. 

and conveyed by a chute into the stock-room. The fine coal is made • 
into coke. Forty coke ovens, besides numerous coke pits, are kept 
constantly in operation. 

The proportions of charges are : 

Coal 1,600 pounds. 

Coke 1,200 pounds. 

Ore 2,200 pounds. 

Limestone *.. 600 pounds. 

Seventy-seven of these charges are put in the hot blast furnace,, 
Rockwood No. 2, in twenty-four hours. There are no shipments of 
coal from Kockwood, the wliole amount being consumed by the fur- 
naces at that point, and by i he various machine shops. There are other 
seams above and below the one worked at Rockwood, and the supply 
is practically inexhaustible. All have the same dip, but disturbed by 
local flexures. 

Hooper Mines. These are on the Little Emory, four miles from, 
the Tennessee river, and have been worked, for local purposes, for- 
twenty-five years. The bed is four feet thick, and the coal is of a very 
superior quality. 

Wilcox Mining Company. The property of this company is situ- 
ated along the north-east line of Roane county, occupying the south-east- 
ern slope of Walden's Ridge. It touches the Big Emory river, in which 
there is always water enough to float barges and small steamers, into 
which the coal is dumped from the cars. The property includes ten 
acres upon one of the spurs of Cumberland Mountain behind Walden's 
Ridge. In 1866, AVilliam and Edward Small, of Baltimore, bought 
1,200 acres of land, and subsequently added other tracts. These gen- 
tlemen worked the property until 1869, when it passed into the hands- 
of Col. John Baxter. "Wilcox Brothers bought the property in 1870,, 
and it was transferred to the Wilcox Mining Company in August 
of the same year. At the time this company took possession, the facili- 
ties for transferring the coal to the river were very poor, but a narrow 
gauge road has been built with easy grades. The coal is lowered from 
the mine to the track by an incline 1,000 feet long. 

The following is a general section of the strata in that region, as 
made by Prof. Bradley, beginning with the highest beds exposed, and 
numbering downwards, while the coal seams are numbered from below 
upwards : 

1. Shaly and shaly sandstone, mostly covered 130 ft- 

2. Dark clay shales 8 to 10 JJ 

3. Hard dark micaceous shale 1 

4. Coal i^o. 12.. IJ " 

5. Hard black sandy shale ..••• 1 

6. Covered space, sandy shale at 90 feet 136 " 

7. Thick-bedded and shaly sandstones 16 " 

8. Thick, irregular-bedded hard sandstone 21 " 

9. Soft clay shale 5 

10. Coal m.W 1 to 2 " 

11. Soft fire-clay 1 to 2 "- 



Coal. 103 

12. Sady shales and thick-bedded sandstones 35 ft. 

13. Clay shales, partly sandy 50 to 60 ^^ 

14. Hard sandstone 1 to 3 

15. CoALiVo.lO lto3 II 

16. Hard fire-clay and soft shales 6 to 8 

17. Thin and thick-bedded sandstones 20 to 30 " 

18. Covered, mostly shales 50 to 60 '^ 

19. Irregular thin-bedded sandstone 16 

20. Clay shales, partly black.; 5 to 10 " 

21. Coal ^0. 9....; 1? |' 

22. Covered, mostly sandy shales 50 

23. CoalJN^o. 8 '■ "li" 'I 

24. Thick-bedded sandstones ». 18 

25. Covered, mostly shales 45 

26. Heavy-bedded sandstone » 72 

27. Covered, mostly shales, partly sandy 58 

28. Heavy-bedded sandstone 153 

29. Covered, probably shales and shaly sandstones 171 " 

30. Heavy and thin-bedded sandstones 54 '■'- 

31. Ferruginous sandy shales, with beds of iron-stone 90 to 100 " 

32. Irregularly-bedded sandstone 50 to 70 " 

33. Covered, sandy shales and iron-stone, profeoiZy vnih CoAX No. 7 180 to 200 " 

34. Heavy-bedded sandstone 40 to 45 " 

35. Shales 30 to 35 |' 

36. Thick-bedded sandstone 1 '* 

37. Dark drab, compact clay shales 40 to 45 " 

38. Shaly sandstone 12 to 15 " 

39. Dark drab to black and ferruginous clay shales 25 to 30 " 

40. Coal iVo. 6 3 to 6 " 

41. Dark drab clay shale, with some fire clay 5 to 6 "^ 

42. Shaly sandstone 10 to 15 || 

43. Heavy-bedded sandstone 47 

44i Shales , • 8 " 

45. Heavy -bedded coarse and fine sandstone 53 "^ 

46. Sandy shales... 8 

47. Heavy-bedded light colored ferruginous sandstones, part pebbly 5 " 

48. Soft clay shales 2 

49. Heavy-bedded fine grained sandstone 31 " 

50. Ferny shales, some sandy layers 40 '■'' 

51. CoALiVo. 5 3 to 4 II 

52. Hard drab shales 2 to 3 

53. Heavy-bedded sandstone, mostly conglomeritic. Levd of Coal No. 4..140 to 150 " 

54. Clay shales, part sandy. Level of CoAJ. No. 2> 180" 

55. Heavy-bedded sandstone, lower half compact, upper granular 25 " 

56. Gray ferruginous shales, including Coal No. 2 170 " 

57. Dark drab compact sandstone 40 to 50 " 

58. Thin-bedded sandstone, with shaly partings 45 to 50 " 

59. Shales, including level of Coal No. 1 150 to 200 •' 

60. Bluish-drab fossiliferous limestone 35 to 200 " 

61. Covered, shale or shaly limestone ? , 125 " 

62. Cherty limestone, with heavy bands of chert 160 " 

63. Green and drab sandy shales 3 to 24 •' 

64. Black and drab shale 26 to 117 " 

65. Covered, black shale? 90 " 

66. Ked, greenish and yellowish sandy shales, including two band of red 

hematite and a few thin sandstones 100 to 150 " 

67. Dark reddish and ferruginous shales say, 500 " 

68. Compact dark blue limestone ,.,,■ " 100" 

69. Cherty limestone, part fossiliferous " 200" 

70. Dark drab limestones, part shaly,.,, " 60 " 

"Of the above section," says Prof: Bradley, "Nos. 1 to 59 belong 

to the Coal Measures, showing a total thickness of nearly 2,700 feet. 



I04 Minerals of Tennessee. 

This is a greater thickness'than has heretofore been attributed to the 
entire Coal Measures in this region ; while it apparently does not in- 
clude anywhere near all the formation. There is, however, only a 
small portion of the section which has not been measured, as well as 
estimated, and I am satisfied that the total is approximately correct in 
all its essential parts. It has been very carefully measured. Less at- 
tention is paid to the lower beds, as the section here is of little import- 
ance. Numbers sixty to sixty-two represent the characteristic divi- 
sions of sub-carboniferous limestones. Numbers sixty-three to sixty- 
five represent the " Black Shale " of the West, which^s generally ac- 
■counted the equivalent of the " Genesee Shale " of New York, and 
called Devonian, though some of its fossils seem more nearly allied to 
sub-carboniferous than to Devonian species. Number sixty-six is what 
Prof. Safford, in his recent report on the Geology of Tennessee, calls 
the "Dyestone Group," and is mostly the equivalent of the "Clinton 
Group" of New York. The included sandstones at the base may rep- 
resent the "Medina Sandstone" of New York. Number sixty-seven 
may also belong to the Medina, though I have preferred to consider it 
the upper division of the "Cincinnati Group," to which belong num- 
bers sixty-eight and sixty-nine. The latter beds are more compact 
limestones than are usually found in this group. Number seventy ap- 
parently belongs to the Trenton Group, though fossils are, as yet, 
wanting for proof of the fact. 

"All the coal seams, for the vacant numbers, have not yet been 
found. Below coal number five, which is the first thick seam yet dis- 
covered at this place, four seams not observed here, have been found 
at the ^tna Mines, and it is believed that they all exist on this prop- 
erty. Number one has not been found. Number two was found and 
opened on the outcrop, and thickened from six to eighteen inches. 
Number four is the equivalent of the Main ^tna ; it lies fifteen feet 
below the conglomerate number fifty-three. Coal number five has 
been opened at two points, but not fully tested. This is thought to be 
the equivalent of the seam marked G in the Sewanee section. Coal 
number six is over four feet thick ; swells, locally, to five and six feet, 
and has yielded a large amount of superior coal. This is the equiva- 
lent of the Rockwood seam, twelve miles south-west, and probably, 
of the Main Sewanee. Lumps of coal above number six, are the only 
indications of number seven. This seam is said to contain good bodies 
of coal at White's creek. Numbers eight and nine have not been dis- 
tinctly recognized. They are most likely of no practical value. Num- 
ber ten shows along Laurel branch an average thickness of two feet 
of superior coal." 

The upheaved strata, says the same authority, of Walden's Ridge 
are, in the main, evidently continuous with the level beds of the val- 
ley and mountain back of it. Along a limited space, from the lower 
part of Laurel branch eastward to beyond D'Armond's Gap, a line of 
fault runs near the foot of the Ridge, along which the strata are com- 
pletely broken off and displaced, the highly-inclined beds of appar- 



Coal. 105 

ently number forty-five of the general section being thrust under and 
against the edges of the nearly horizontal beds of number nineteen (?), 
in the Gap. Along Laurel Branch the distubance is evident, but slight. 
On the north side of the West Fork of the Little Emory, for half a 
mile from the Gap, number ten has been worked, at various times, 
with a reported thicknes of from two to three feet ; but the openings 
have been abandoned. It is a superior coal, as shown by the analysis 
given below. The area of this portion of the seam is limited by the 
uplift of Whetstone Mountain beyond it. Still, if the seam were 
thicker and more regular, its area would be sufficient for profitable 
mining. As we pass eastward, the valley of East Fork of Little 
Emory approaches the line of Whetstone Mountain, and makes num- 
ber ten nearly or quite worthless for a mile or more before reaching 
the Gap through Whetstone. As the lower and thicker seams must 
underlie all this territory, it will become valuable when, in the indefi- 
nite future, the coal will pay for so deep mining. 

As the valley approaches Whetstone Mountain, it retires from Wal- 
den's Ridge, and leaves a large area of number ten upon its south side. 
This is partly in Tarkill Ridge, Avhich reaches from 270 to 470 feet 
above Little Emory, and partly on the slopes of Walden's Ridge, from 
which Tarkill Ridge is separated by the Valley of Machine Branch. 
In both these positions it has been worked, with a thickness of from 
one to three feet of excellent coal. 

The upper seams, numbers eleven and twelve, have been found only 
in the higher parts of Tarkill Ridge. It is possible that number eleven 
may exist upon the slopes of Whetstone Mountain ; but this is not 
probable. The heavy-bedded sandstone which forms the crest of 
Whetstone is apparently one of the beds which lie between number 
six and number eight. 

The coal number six, says Mr. Bradley, is pronounced by Prof. 
Wormley, of Ohio, to be the best coal he has analyzed. The high 
percentage of fixed carbon, as indicated by the analysis given below, 
together with the fact that it softens very little in the fire, shows that 
it could be worked with great profit in furnaces in its raw state. The 
percentage of sulphur is also small. The sample analyzed was a full 
section from roof to floor. This coal yields, in gas retorts, 4.47 cubic 
feet of gas per pound, as certified by the superintendent of the gas 
company at Knoxville. The seam, though the equivalent of the 
Rockwood, and tilted at a higher angle, has been less disturbed, and 
retains its laminated condition. The amount of slack is inconsidera- 
ble. The outcrop of this seam is 636 feet above the dump-house, on 
the bank of Big Emory. The mine is in the hollow of the mountain, 
and the general level of the outcrop along this part. of the Ridge is 
from fifty to one hundred feet higher. Prof. Bradley thinks this seam 
will yield, above the tunnel, 440,000 tons per mile in length of Ridge, 
and below the tunnel 380,000 before reaching the centre of the Ridge. 
The following is an analysis of coal number six, as made by Prof. 
Theodore C. Wormley, of Columbus, Ohio : 



lo6 Minerals of Tennessee. 

Specific Gravity ^ 1.308 

Water 1^50 

Ash — light fawn color 7.70 

Volatile matter 27.70 

Fixed carbon — coke compact 63.10 

100.00 

Sulphur 0.53 

" left in coke 0.45 

Permanent gas per pound, in cubic feet 3.32 

ANALYSIS OF SEAM NUMBER TEN. 

Specific gravity 1.285 

Water 1.50 

Ash — light fawn color 2.60 

Volatile matter 30.10 

Fixed carbon — coke compact 65.80 

100.00 

Sulphur 0.71 

" left in coke 0.52 

iPermanent gas per pound, in cubic feet, 3.32 

The product is about 500 bushels per day, and about thirty hands 
are kept employed. 

Oakdale. The coal at this point is every similar to that found at 
Rockwood, sixteen miles below, but is not quite so soft, nor does it 
slack so readily. The bed worked is about four feet thick, swelling 
out sometimes to five, and then diminishing to two, making what 
miners call a " squeeze." 

It was opened in the spring of 1873, and the coal is only used for 
making iron. The daily product is 1,000 bushels, and thirty hands 
are employed in the mines, all Welch. The mines are in Roane 
county, four miles from Big Emory river, about ten miles from the 
Tennessee and six from the Clinch. The coal supply is ample. 

Poplar Creek, or Winters' Gap. Winters' Gap is a complete cut 
in Walden's Ridge, through which Poplar creek finds its way from the 
Cumberland Table-land to the Tennessee river. In the Table-land at 
this place, several seams of coal have been opened ; the principal one 
is seven feet in thickness, was opened in 1852, and for many years the 
coal was shipped therefrom to Knoxville and Chattanooga, and to 
Huntsville, Alabama. It was highly esteemed as the best coal brought 
from Tennessee. It is hard, free-burning coal, bearing transportation 
well, and when ignited burns like a candle. It is nearly free of sul- 
phur. It was formerly shipped down Poplar creek in barges. Near 
the gap is a salt well which was bored many years since, and deepened 
by Prof. Estabrook, who. erected works at this point, but died before 
his plans were perfected. The well was sunk a thousand feet, and the 
water yielded eight per. cent, of salt. On the eastern face of Walden's 
Ridge three or more seams of coal are known to exist, and one has 
been opened, supposed to be the main Rockwood. 



Coal. 107^ 



The following diagram will serve to illustrate the topography of 
this most interesting spot, and will also give the position of the Eed 
Hematie iron ore bed, with reference to Walden's Ridge and the Cum- 
berland Table-land. 




T. Cumberland Table-land. 

A, B. C. Horizontal beds of Coal. 

B swells out sometimes seven feet in thickness. 

W. Walden's Eidge. 

D, Coal in Walden's Eidge, five feet thick. 

S. Salt Well. 

TJ. Mineral Springs. 

H. Stratum of Hematite iron ore, greatly inclined. 

In the valley, at the foot of Walden's Ridge, are found a large num- 
ber of mineral springs, consisting of red, black and white sulphur,, 
magnesia, etc. The dyestone bed of iron ore is here almost on a level 
with the valley, as at Rockwood. 

North-east of this point, coal has been mined at Frost's Bottom, on 
tiie Mountain Fork of Poplar creek. There is at this place a large 
surface display of Brown Hematite iron ore. The coal is said to be 
good and the supply abundant. 

It has not been our purpose to enumerate all the points between 
Chattanooga and Frost's Bottom, where coal has been seen, but only 
such beds as have been worked. There is not a gorge in the moun- 
tain throughout the entire distance in which the outcroppings of coal 
may not be seen. Along this line at least fifty good coal mines can 
be opened. The quantity is enough to dispel any apprehensions of a fail- 
ure of supply for centuries. 

Coal. Ceeek Mines. These mines are on Coal Creek, in Anderson 
county, thirty miles north of the city of Knoxville, on the Knoxville 
and Ohio railroad. The Coal Creek Mining and Manufacturing Com- 
pany owns at this point 40,000 acres of land, 25,000 acres of which 
are coal-bearing. A branch road from the main stem of the Knox- 
ville and Ohio railroad runs through a gorge of Walden's Ridge up 
to the mines. Between Walden's Ridge and the Cumberland Moun- 
tains at this point, two streams. Coal creek running north, and Weld- 
ing creek running south, meet nearly at right angles, and after their 
confluence pass through the gap before mentioned. Near the point of 
their union six companies are employed in mining coal. 



loS Minerals of Tennessee, 

Prof. Bradley, who made a survey of this property in 1872, gives 
the position of the strata and a vertical section of the same, which 
may not prove uninteresting, inasmuch as his practical skill and ac- 
curacy as a geologist is well known. He says : 

" That portion of the beds which forms the mass of the Cumberland 
Mountains, and underlies the included valleys, is approximately level, 
•showing only slight dips, and these local and irregular. As a whole, 
however, I believe there is a slight westward dip of the whole mass. 
But in descending the mountain, and approaching the main branches 
of Coal creek, we begin to find the dips increasing gradually and fol- 
lowing two principal directions, corresponding with the courses of 
Walden's Ridge. Crossing the creek, we find the dips of those por- 
tions of the strata which form the Ridge increasing rapidly to 60° and 
70°, and, at some points, even to 20° beyond verticality. As these 
latter portions consist of shales and sandstones, including coal seams, 
and corresponding in general appearance with the horizontal strata be- 
hind them, it is not surprising that the opinion has obtained, among 
persons who have not made careful examination, that they really con- 
stitute fragments of the visible horizontal strata, broken off and drop- 
ped on edge. But closer observation shows plainly that along the 
Coal creek waters, at least, no such break has taken place ; while it is 
also evident that the rocks along the whole length of the Ridge are 
simply the continuation of strata lying below all the horizontal beds 
that are exposed on this eastern side of the Cumberland Mountains, 
bent up in a grand curve by an immense force which acted so slowly 
as not to break them off. It was the same force which upheaved and 
displaced the rocks of the whole great Appalachian range. Most of 
the courses of disturbance follow a general north-east and south-west 
trend ; but there are a few cross fractures, one of which runs from near 
Coal creek up through Wheeler's Gap, and gives direction to that por- 
tion of Walden's Ridge. The lower portion of the Ridge, running 
towards Winter's Gap, is approximately parallel to the general trend. 
The two portions unite, not at a sharp angle, but by a gentle curve, 
accompanied by considerable warping of the broad plates of sandstone, 
and more or less crushing of the included coal and other softer rocks. 
In the more nearly horizontal portions of the strata, opposite this 
junction, two or three considerable wrinkles were developed, which 
have been encountered as " horsebacks" in the mines opened at this 
point. They probably do not run very far under the mountain. It is 
fortunate for the miner that the waters of Coal creek have at this 
point (the Gap having been located, very probably, by some cross 
crack corresponding with the aforesaid wrinkles), cut their way down 
through Walden's Ridge, so far as to admit him directly to the out- 
crop of one of the principal coal seams, at a level not far from that of 
the general drainage outside the Ridge." 

The following is the general section of the strata, as given by Prof. 
Bradley. The strata are numbered from above downward, and the 
coal lettered from below upwards. The only coal now worked is that 



Coal. . 109^ 

marked E, and which, from an examination, appears to dip towards 
a central basin at the rate of one and a half inches to the yard. This 
seam lies about sixty feet above the creek. It varies from four to. 
seven feet in thickness, and supplies a good hard aubical coal. It con- 
tains, at one point, a band of cannel coal, varying from a mere streak 
up to two inches. The other seams have not been drifted into, but 
Prof. Bradley is of opinion that of the twenty-one, at least eight are of 
workable thickness, and will aggregate over thirty feet of coal. He 
estimates the amount beneath each acre of surface to be 6,250 tons. 

GENERAL SECTION OP STRATA AT COAX CEEEK. 

1. Shales and sandstones, little or no coal 20.0 ft. 

2. Coal, (U) 6 in. 

3. Shales and heavy cliiFy sandstones 80 ft. 

4. Coal, (T) Ito20 in. 

5. Underclay and sandy shales *. 20 ft. 

6. Coal, (S) ,.......;.... 3| " 

7. Shales, full of irregular ironstone nodules 10 *' 

8. Coal (E) : 1 « 

9. Shales and sandstones 10 "^ 

10. Coal, (Q)..... \\ " 

11. Shales and heavy clifiy sandstone 20 " 

12. Coal, (P) 2J " 

13. Shales, with two or three heavy sandstones 300 " 

14. Coal, (O) 5 to 7 « 

15. Shales, with few thin sandstones 350 " 

16. Coal, (N) ? « 

17. Shales and sandstones 110 " 

18. Coal, (M) ? « 

19. Shales and sandstone 100 " 

20. Coal, (L) 2 5-6 " 

21. Shale 10 " 

22. Coal, (K) 2 1-6 " 

23. Shales and heavy cliffy sandstones 180 " 

24. Coal, (J) 3J " 

25. Laminated sandstone 30 " 

26. Shales and shaly sandstones 220 " 

27. Irregular heavy-bedded sandstone 10 "■ 

28. Shales and sandstones 50 " 

29. Black bituminous shales 10 " 

30. Coal, (I) ? « 

31. Shales and sandstones, thick and thin 160 " 

32. Coal, (H)... 2 " 

33. Black slaty shale , ? « 

34. Sandstone and shales 140 " 

35. Black slaty shale 2 " 

36. Coal, (G) 2to3 « 

37. Sandstones 40 " 

38. Dark, hard clay shells, with ironstone bands at bottom 130 to 150 " 

39. Laminated sandstone, shaly below. .: 12 to 15 " 

40. Coal, (P) \\ to 2J " 

41. Shale, clay and coal, interlaminated 1 " 

42.. Clay shale 9 to 15 " 

43. Coal, (E) 4to8 « 

44. Underclay 1 to 2 " 

45. Sandy shale 4 to 5 " 

46. Thin-bedded sandstone, part shaly 30 to 40 " 

47. Dark drab to black clay shale, ironstone bands 30 to 35 " 



no Minerals of Tennessee. 

4S. Heavv-beddeti sandstones ^....«^....^ 5 to 10 ft. 

49. Thin-bedded, flagging sione ^ « 12 to 15 " 

oO. Clav stales, pardv sandv „ -...•.„ 10 " 

51. Coal, D) .'. '. l*to2J « 

52. irnderclav _„ 2 to 4 ** 

53. HardL dark siiale _ 15 to 20 ** 

-54. Siiales and tiiiii sandstones. 40 to 50 " 

55. Ck>al, C» .- 3to4 « 

56. Shales « „ _ 12 to 15 " 

57. Thin-bedded dialy sandsrones. S to 10 " 

^5. Sandj shales ^ 30 to 35 " 

59. Heavy-bedded sandstones. 3<:" to 35 ** 

€0. Dait compact clav shales 55 to 60 " 

61. Coal, moisily brashy. wiih six inch^ of fire-clay, (B,> li to 2 " 

62. Dark diale. sandv below ! _ IS"* 

63. Sandstone '. .' 8 to 10 " 

64. Shales _.. 15 « 

65. Sand^(»ie , .'. 25 " 

66. Shales .- _ 70 « 

67. Concretionary shales., ". 15 " 

68. Heaw-bedded sandstonesL 50 to 60 ** 

69. Sandstones and shales, including Coal, (A) 200 to 300 * 

70. Limestone, part cherty _ 100 to 200 * 

71. Sandst(»ies anddiales, indnding beds of iron ore „ 

There are, then, at least tiireiity-one coal seams in this section.' 

The coal A is nearly worthless, being intermingled \dth large masses 
of ^uidsTone and shales. 

Coal B is thin and worthless, and Prof. Bradley thinks it attains no- 
where a snScient thickness and purity to be of any practical value. 

The outcroppings of coal C, in the bed of the stream at the railroad 
bridge, have been covered with mbbish. It is said to be three or 
more feet in thickness. 

Coal D is not of workable thickness, containing only ten or fifteen 
inches of good coal. 

Coal E is the vein now worked, and noticed above. 

Coal Y is from eighteen to twenty-eight inches thick, and though a 
good caking coal, is not worth mining. 

Coal G shows a thickness of from two to three feet of good coal. It 
vras once worked to a moderate extent. 

Coal H was examined by Prof. Bradley at one point, and showed two 
feet of good caking coaL 

Coal I is probably the equivalent of the seam mentioned by Dr. Saf- 
ford, as being six or eight miles west of Coal creek. At the latter point 
it is three feet thick, with a parting of three inches of shale. 

Coal J showed npon examination three feet of solid coal. It is a 
dry, free-burning coal, and well suited to work raw in an iron fur- 
nace. 

Coals K and L are sejKirated by ten feet of soft shale. The upper 
one is workable; the lower one not. Prof. Bradley thinks it probable 
they run together. 

Coal M and X were not seen exposed. The latter is thought to be 
of workable thickness. 



Coal. I" 

Coal- O is from five to seven feet thick, with one heavy shale part- 
ing. It lies at a high level, bat is valuable. 

The coal seams from P to T are fonnd near the top of the monntam. 
P and S are of workable thickn^s where exposed. 
Coal U is thin and worthless- 
Six companies are now mining coal at Coal Creek, viz. : tne Knox- 
ville Iron Companv, E. E. McEwen &. Co., Coal Creek Company, 
Black Diamond, Franklin Coal, and Anderson County Coal Creek 

Companv. j» ^ ■ j pcl. 

The KnoxvOle Iron Companv employs fitty-four mmers and fifteen 
laborers. It ships ten car loads' of coal per day, averaging 250 bush- 
els to the car load. The main entry, with cross entries, is about 2,400 
yards in length. The coal is shipped to Atlanta, Augusta, and Macon, 
Georgia, and sometimes to Charleston, South Car«^lina. The fine ooak 
of this company is utilized in the making of coke. This company has 
a lease of 360 acres. 

The mine of E. E. McEwen & Co., a short distance from the pre- 
ceding one, emplovs thirty miners and eleven laborers. The product 
for the vear 1873 was IoO.ChIO bushels- The main entry, 900 vards in 
length, is driven in at a water level, and the cross entries, dij^ing one 
inch to the yard towards the main entry, will probably aggr^ate as 
manv vards' as the main entry. This mine is so opened as to drain 
itseli. * The fdU capacity of the mine is 100 tons per day, or 2,500 
bushels. This company has a lease of 250 acres. 

The Coal Creek Coal Company employs twenty men. The main 
entrv is 425 vards lonsr. with cross entries amounting in the aggregate 
to 375 vards. The daily product of this mine is five car loads, or 
1,250 bushels. This mine is pretty well exhausted, and the company 
propose to open a new mine higher up and above the Black Dia- 
mond. 

The Black Diamond Company has tweiLiy miners and eight laborers. 
It began operations on a lease of 250 acres, in January, 1S73. 125.000 
bushels have been taken out. The mines drain themselves. The main 
entrv is 150 vards long, with 20«3 yards of cross entries. 

The Franklin Coal Company has recently begun operations. 

The Anderson County Coal Company employs twenty-ax men, and 
the maximum product is ten car loads, or 2,-500 bushels per day. The 
character of all this coal is the same. These companies, with the ex- 
ception of the Coal Creek Company, work under a lease from the 
Coal Creek Mining and Manu&ctaring Company, paying a royalty of 
one cent per bushel. ^ 

The total product oi the mines at Coal Creek, for the year 1873, 
was about 75,000 tons. The mines at this point are not worked to 
near their fall capacity, for while the annual shipments amount to 
nearlv 2,000,000 bushels, there could easily, with increased demand, 
be shipped 3^000,000 bushels. 

The following letter finom E. C. Camp will give additional informa- 
tion in r^ard to these mines, as well as an analysis of the coal: 



112 Minerals of Tennessee. 

KJNOXViLiiE, Tenn., December 27, 1873. 
Man. Wm. Morrow, Nanhville, Tenn. : 

Dear Sir — The letter from the Secretary of the Bureau of Agriculture, addressed to you^ 
and forwarded to us, is received. Aside from our local demand in East Tennessee ; Atlanta^ 
Augusta, Macon, and all intermediate points of consequence in Georgia, Lynchburg, Vir- 
ginia, and points this side, with a considerable trade at Huntsville and Stevenson, Ala- 
bama, and otlier points on the Nashville & Chattanooga and Memphis and Charleston 
railroads, with some shipments to Savannah, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina,. 
in the order in which named, the principal points of shipment. Price at the banks 
in winter is ten cents per bushel for lump, nine cents for mixed, and five cents for slack 
coal. Some reductions are occasionally made to manufacturers who purchase large 
quantities, and to dealers, in summer, who lay in supplies for winter use. Freight 
from the banks to Knoxville (thirty miles) is four cents per bushel, with a reduction of 
one dollar per car if the coal goes to or beyond Bristol, Chattanooga, or Dalton. 

The thickness of the seam will average about five feet, and is tolerably uni- 
form. The quality of the coal is almost precisely the same in all the banks, except 
the Anderson County Coal Company, which seems to be a little freer from dirt, and 
with less sulphur than the others. The analysis of the coal from the Coal Creek Com- 
pany and the Anderson County Coal Company (the two banks which I represent) is as- 
follows : 

COAr, CREEK COAL, COMPANY. 

Moisture 1.04 

Volatile combustible matter 38.87 

Fixed carbon 56.44 

Ash 3.65 

Total 100.00 

Sulphur in 100 parts coke 59 

ANKEESON COUNTY COAL COMPANY. 

Moisture .99^ 

Volatile combustible matter '. 38.82 

Fixed carbon 57.52 

Ash 2.67 

Total 100.00 

Sulphur in 100 parts coke .13 

The retail price of coal at Knoxville is eighteen cents per bushel, delivered. 

Yours, very truly, 

E. C. Camp^ 
ANALYSIS. 

Sample of coal taken from vein E on the property of Messrs, 
McEwen & Wiley : 

Fixed carbon 57.69 per cent. 

Ash..... 2.55 

Volatile matter 37.80 " 

Sulphur 1.70 " 

Phosphoric acid 0.25 " 

99.99 « 

The future prospects of the mines at Coal Creek are highly flatter- 
ing. The coal seams are regular and reliable, and calculations can be 
made with certainty. With the opening of the Cincinnati Southern 
line, which will connect with the Knoxville & Ohio, the shipments of 
coal from this point, as also from Carey ville, will doubtless be very 
large. 

Wheelee's Station, or Caebyville. At this point, eight 
miles above, four mines have been opened, with varying success, viz.: 
The Powell's Valley Mining and Manufacturing Company, James 



Coal. 113 

Kennedy's mine, East Tennessee Coal Company, and Dr. Hart's 
mine. 

The first of these is not worked at present, owing to some dispute 
in reference to the title. The seam is three and a half feet thick, and 
the mine was opened in 1869, 

The mine of James Kennedy is worked by twenty-two men, with a 
daily product of 700 bushels. The main entry is 500 yards long, and 
is on a level with the Knoxville & Ohio Railroad. It was opened in 
1868. 

The East Tennessee Coal Company has met with a series of misfor- 
tunes. The first drift, after going 165 yards, struck a fault and was 
abandoned. The stratum dipped at an angle of ten degrees, and after 
the entry had been driven in J;wenty-seven feet the bed jumped 
twenty-seven feet, nearly perpendicularly. It was, however, worked 
until the fault was encountered. 

The second drift goes in 175 feet. The bed dips at an angle of 
thirty-five degrees for forty yards, then becomes horizontal or slightly 
undulating. Six or eight men only are employed, and the product is 
250 bushels per day. It was opened in August, 1871. 

De. Hart's Mine. — This seam in one of the mountain spurs has a 
dip of forty-three degrees downward. It is five feet in thickness, 
varying, however, from four and a half to eight feet. The coal is of 
good quality, comparatively free of sulphur, and is highly esteemed 
for grates, bringing one cent more per bushel in Knoxville than that 
obtained elsewhere. Where the seam thickens to more than six feet, 
the coal is curled, twisted and rounded, has a crushed, shelly appear- 
ance, and does not bear transportation so well as that taken from 
where the bed is thinner. The entry at the time of our visit had been 
driven to a depth of 125 feet, with but little variation in the dip. 
At last accounts received in December, 1874, Dr. Hart had not 
reached the point where the stratum becomes horizontal. The total 
product from Wheeler's Station, for the year 1873, was 368,325 
bushels. 

The following is a section taken in 1859 by Dr. Saffprd, and will 
serve to illustrate the stratigraphical ])osition of the Coal Measures at 
this point. The strata are nearly liorizontal, except at the base, where 
they dip at a small angle in the mountain, and this dip is increased in 
the small spurs that shoot out from the mountain as though the edges 
were turned up by latefal pressure : 

45. Sandstone, caps the highest points of the mountain 100 feet. 

44. Shales and Shaly Sandstone 55 " 

43. Sandstone 15 " 

42. Shales and thin Sandstones 165 " 

41. Shale 14 " 

40. Coal, a fine exposure, contains a six-inch seam of black shale, but 

otherwise pure cubie coal 6 " 

m. Shale 40 " 

38. Thin Sandstones and Shales ; these rocks are in the gap through which 

the path leads from Wheeler's across to Beech Creek 155 " ■ 

37. Shde 45 « 

8 



il4 Minerals of Tennessee. 

36. Sajstdstone 37 feet. 

35. Slmle and Sandy Shale , 74 

34. Coal, tine outcrop, (may be six feet) 4 " 

33. Shcde and thin Sandstones 40 to 60 " 

32. Sandstone 60 to 80 " 

31. Shale , 50 " 

30. Coal, outcrop 1 " 

29. Fire-clay 1 to 2 " 

28. Shale 50 to 80 « 

27. Sandstone 60 to 90 " 

26. Shales.. ; 130 " 

25. Shales, with day Ironstones 20 " 

24. Coal, outcrop 1 " 

23. Shcde 6 " 

22. Coal, outcrop at a large "lick" on Beech Creek aide, may be a five 

or six-foot coal ■ k 3 " 

21. Shale 50 to 80 " 

20. Sandstone 50 " 

19. Shales, mostly 100 to 120 " 

18. Sandstone 75to 100 " 

17. Shale 45 " 

16. Coal, OMfcrop, with shaly parting of three inches 3 " 

15. AS%a/e TOicZ 6'awcZ.stowes, shales predominating 190 " 

14. Sandstone 50 to 80 " 

13. Shale 20 " 

12. Coal 3 " 

11. Shale, with clay Ironstones 25 " 

10. Sandstone 25 " 

9. ,S%afe, heavy, thickness uncertain, say ^ 110 " 

8. Shale and "black slate" — 10 " 

7. Coal, outcrop..... 1 " 

6. Shale and Fire-clay 4 " 

5. Shale 5 " 

4. Coal, with a three-inch parting in upper portion 5 " 

3. "Black s/afe," contains Stigmaria, •with, rootlets ■. 3 " 

2. Shale and Fi;re-clay, with Stigmaria ; 6 " 

1. Sandy Shale, (loot ot mountsiin) • 30 " 

The entire thickness of the strata in the section above is about 
2,100 feet. 

A section taken at Tellico Mountain by F. Chavannes, civil engi- 
neer, represents six beds of coal of grea^ richness. Tellico Mountain lies 
on the northern- western side of Elk Fork Valley, which valley has a 
great fault running through it. The Coal Measures lie north-west of 
this fault. 

Some doubt, however, has been thrown upon the accuracy of Chav- 
annes observations by Prof Bradley, who in a note to the Secretary 
of this Bureau says: 

" Chavannes is probably in error about the thick seams of coal on 
Elk Fork. I have visited the region twice especially to find them, 
and have been unable to find or hear of any over eighteen inches until 
reaching the junction of Clear Fork at the Kentucky line where 
heavy seams are said to outcrop in the bed of the stream." 

Poplar Creek, Frost Bottom, Morgan Mines, and Piney are mines 
only used for local purposes at present, though some of them will go 
into active business in a short time. 

In regard to the northern portion of this great Tennessee coal-field, 



Coal, 115 

it may be said that some of the beds which have been opened for local 
purp6ses are from five to six feet in thickness, and show coal of good 
quality. The want of transportation has suppressed development. In 
White, Cumberland, Morgan, Putnam, Overton, Fentress, and Scott are 
many fine exhibitions of coal, especially where the streams have gashed 
the mountain-top. Coal has been mined for local purposes in all these 
counties. On Clifty Creek, in White county, and on Caney Fork are 
some fine presentations of coal. Much of the coal in White county is 
below the conglomerate. In Calf Killer Valley are several seams of 
three and four feet in thickness. No extensive mining has been done 
in this portion of the coal region, and until means of transportation 
are afforded, this great undeveloped wealth will remain valueless. A 
minute geological survey of this region would be exceedingly valu- 
able, in an industrial point of view, to the State. Our purpose, in this 
report, is accomplished when we direct attention to such things as di- 
rectly affect our agricultural interests. That the erection of manu- 
facturing establishments would stimulate agriculture, and multiply the 
profits of the farmer, is not to be doubted. The evidence of this is 
seen in the erection of Rockwood Furnace. Before it was built, the 
farmers in the vicinity of the spot relied chiefly upon their corn crops 
for a supply of money. Those remote from the river could not even 
rely upon that staple, for hauling it over a mountainous country was 
such a tax as to consume all the profits. Now, it is not uncommon to 
see, at one time, a hundred wagons in Rockwood loaded with chickens, 
turkeys, beef, butter, eggs, flour, corn-meal, hay, oats, corn, etc. 
Twenty-five hundred barrels of flour, 15,000 bushels of corn-meal, 
and 15,000 pounds of bacon are consumed in a place that, six years 
ago, was an untamed forest. Lauds and rents in the neighborhood 
have advanced. The valleys are crowned with orchards and gardens, 
with corn and wheat; schools have sprung up; population is crowding 
in ; the quiet and gloom of the forest have been transformed into the 
glory of the field and the bustle and activity of a manufacturing town. 
A thousand such towns could be built in our coal regions, and the 
crops of the farmers be made to yield a remunerative return for their 
labor. As for the facilities which this region offers for the establish- 
ment, not only of manufactories for iron, but for cotton, wool, and lum- 
ber, there can be no question. Contiguous to the cotton-fields, in a 
region where sheep flourish and thrive upon the mountain grasses 
almost the entire Vear, and where timber of almost every variety 
abounds, such as walnut, poplar, oaks, hickory, ash, and maple, and 
where, too, the most health-inspiring breezes, free from malaria, invig- 
orate and animate the physical frame; with an unlimited supply of 
coal and iron ore, it will be anomaly in the history of industrial prog- 
ress if this elevated region of Tennessee, does not become the seat of 
extensive manufacturing establishments. Nature has ordained it, and 
capital and labor cannot long resist it. 

J. P. Leslie one of the best geologists in Pennsylvania, says of this 
/ region ; 



II 6 Minerals of Tennessee, 

"The juxtaposition of this Upper Silurian iron ore in East Tennes- 
see, with the beds of the Coal Measures, is a striking phenomenon^, 
but one not peculiar to that region. We have before spoken of the 
great downthrow faults which have brought this result about — faults 
which run in straight lines for several hundred miles from Alabama to 
Middle Virginia. It is to these faults that we owe the existence of 
the Cumberland Mountain Range, and the preservation of the coal- 
beds. Before these faults took place, the coal was elevated 10,000 to 
20,000 feet above the level of the sea, on a plateau covered with eter- 
nal snow and ice. When this plateau was cracked along parallel lines 
running east-northeast and west-southwest, intermediate sections of it 
dropped to about 3,000 feet abqve the tide level. The sections which 
retained their altitude have been eroded of all their Coal Measures, 
and of the formations beneath the Coal Measures as far down as the 
fossil ore. Thus, on two sides of each crack the ore and the coal lie 
facing each other. Geologically, they were separated by an immense 
interval. Geographically, they are now but a few furlongs, sometimes 
but a few yards, apart. 

The Coal Measures also have been preserved by the vertical drop 
of the Cumberland Mountain, almost in their total original thickness. 
There are nearly 3,000 feet of vertical Coal Measures west of Knox- 
ville. This is in strong contrast with the state of things in Pennsyl- 
vania. Our lowest coal beds are well known to run along the summit 
of the Alleghany Mountain Range, (which is the northern prolonga- 
tion of the Cumberland Mountains of the Southern States), and the 
coal basins which lie behind the Alleghany Mountains in Lycoming, 
Clearfield, Centre, Cambria, and Somerset, are comparatively shallow, 
never containing more than the lower 1,000 feet of the whole forma- 
tion, and often not more than enough to take in the first, or the first 
and second coal beds. The Pittsburg bed, and the Upper Coal Meas- 
ures, are not preserved to' us except in the low country of the Monon- 
gahela and Ohio River Valleys. 

But in Tennessee, the lowest coal bed comes to the surface at the 
/very roo'ts of the mountain, as if it came out in the workshop grounds 
/at Altoona, or in the Susquehanna river bed at Williamsport and 
Lockhaven ; and along these slopes, at intervals from the base of the 
mountain to its crest, run horizontal outcrops of numerous coal beds. 
It is true none of them are very thick ; the largest one yet discovered 
being seven or eight feet thick. But the sum total of mineral fuel 
preserved for the use of the inhabitants of the south is practically in- 
finite. Every valley and ravine that issues from the plateau lengthens 
the outcrops and facilitates access to the beds. In course of time, a 
thousand collieries will be started in the mountain, and a thousand iron 
works established on the ores at its foot; a thousand villages, towns 
and cities will grow up in the broad limestone plain before it ; a -thous- 
and factories and mills will make these towns hum with life, and all 
this life will base itself on the mountain coal thus wonderfully pre- 
eerved from destruction by throes of the earth in ancient days, whick 



Coal. 117 

would have obliterated every trace of human life from the continent, 
liad the divine invention of human life been made."/^ 

The following table will give the monthly prodiict of coal for the 
various mines in operation in July, 1874 : 

Sewanee; 300,000 Bushels Per Month. 

Vulcan 30,000 

JStna ;. 62,500 

Battle Creek and mines above.... 23,920 

Coal Creek 156,250 

Wheeler's Station 30,694 

Soddy 15,000 

Sale Creek 50,000 

Eockwood 104,000 

"Wilcox Mining Co 13,000 

Oakdale 26,000 

Shoal Mine 10,000 for 1873. 

This shows a monthly product of about 821,000 bushels, or about 
10,000,000 bushels annually. 

The United States census reports of 1870 give the total amount of 
coal raised for the year which the census returns embrace as 3,335,- 
450 bushels, or 277,871 bushels per month, so that it appears the coal 
product has trebled in three years. In the estimate made, we do not 
include those mines that are worked only for local uses, which was 
done by the census takers. The entire amount mined in 1854 was 
247,400 bushels, in 1855 this was increased to 571,952 bushels. 

The quantity of coal which the Coal Measures of the State will sup- 
ply, has been estimated equal to a block one hundred miles long, fifty-one 
miles wide, and eight feet thick. Assuming that a ton is equivalent to 
one cubic yard, we have, within the boundaries of the coal fields of 
Tennessee, 42,127,360,000 tons; and this is not an over-estimate. If 
this were made into a solid bar one hundred yards wide and thirty 
feet thick, it would pass through the earth at the equator. 

There can be no more deceptive statement, remarks Mr. Macfarlane, 
which may be at the same time true, than that of the area of the coal 
field only. Kansas has more square miles of coal than Pennsylvania; 
yet, one little bed in the latter State, five miles long and less than one 
wide, is-worth more than all the coal in Kansas. The coal fields of 
Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas cannot be compared, except in size, 
to the great Alleghany coal fields, a large portion of which is included 
in Tennessee. The coal in the latter is "better, more abundant, more 
accessible, and the beds more reliable than in the trans-Mississippi 
Coal Measures. 

The following table will show the various analyses of such coals as 
have not been given elsewhere : 



ii8 



Minerals of Tennessee. 



COUNTIES. 


NAME OF MINE. 


CHEMIST. 


CARBON. 


VOLATILE 
MATTER. 


AGE. 


Grrundy 


Sewanee 1^- Zwuikft... 


65.90 

59.38 

79.56 

63.50 

59.50 

56.50 

49.50 

65,00 

74.20 . 

63.90 

56.75 

65.80 

76.39 
. 68.10 
71.00 
69.00 
82.00 


29.00 

34.50 
14.21 
29.90 
38.00 
41.50 
43.00 
32.50 
21.39 
26.80 
40.75 
31.60 

16.50 
28.20 
17.00 
14.00 
10.00 


5 50 


Grrurdy 


Sewanee 


W. M.Stewart 

R. 0. Currv 


612 


Grundy 

Grundy 


Sewanee 


6.25 


Sewanee 


Yaryan 


6 60 


Marion 


Upper Seam 

Upper Seam 

Lower Seani 

Jiltna 


W. M. Siewart 

W. M.Stewart 

W. M. Stewart 

W. M. Stewart 

Dr. J. J. Pohle 


2 50 


Marion 


2 50 


Marion 


7 50 


Marion 


2.50 


Marion 


^Etna 


4 40 


Hamilton 


N'r Chattanooga.. 


T. StfiTTv Rnnt 


9 30 


Hamilton 


Sale Creek W. M. Stewart 


2 50 


Koane 


Wilcox 


T. G. Wormley 

Unknown 


2.62 


Eoane 


Eoane Iroji 

Manuf'g Co 

Wilcox 

Kimbrough's 

Gillenwater's 

Coal Creek 






3.46 


Koane 


T.G. Wormley 

Troost 


7.70 


Roane 


12.00 


Ehea 


Troost 


14.00 


Anderson 


R. 0. Curry 


7.00 











The following letter from Col. A. S. Colyar, will be read with inter- 
est and profit. Col. Colyar is more extensively engaged in coal min- 
ing than any other one man in the State : 

Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 20, 1 875. 
J. B. Killebrew: 

Dear Sir : — At your request I have reread your article on Coal and Iron, in the- 
" Resources of Tennessee," but after correcting some errors of figures, by misprint, there- 
can but little be said in addition, and certainly nothing you have put in ought to be- 
taken out. I think of but one fact which will be of value to the public in addition, 
and that is founded on evidence more recent than the publication of your most valuable 
work. The actual test of Tennessee coal for making iron had not then been made, at 
least not sufficiently made to satisfy iron and coal critics. It has long been the opin- 
ion of mechanics who had used coal from the Upper Coal Measures of Tennessee, that 
it would make very near a charcoal iron. Its freedom from sulphur and other impuri- 
ties was the subject of noteworthy talk by blacksmiths and engineers, and it was this 
general opinion of practical men rather than an actual analysis of the coal, which 
prompted the heavy outlay in getting ready to make coke at the Sewanee mines. By 
an actual test in these furnaces, one of which has been making iron for market with 
"top of the mountain coke" for more than fifteen months, and the other for about five 
months, it has been demonstrated, that the coke made from the upper veins will make- 
an iron nearly, if not quite equal to charcoal iron. The iron has been thoroughly 
tried in the large rolling mills at- Atlanta, as well as in the foundries of Webster &. 
Marks, at Chattanooga, the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad and the penitentiary 
at Nashville, besides at many other places. The upper veins cover so much territory — 
extending over several counties, that the trial and result come to be a matter of the, 
greatest moment to Tennessee. It is absolutely certain that in all the vast coal fields 
of the great west^ not one has yet been discovered, well suited for tlie coke oven and fur- 
nace. .The block coal of Indiana, it is claimed, will make iron without coking, but 
the furnaces west of this coal, all go by it, and bring coke from Connelsville, sixty- 
miles above Pittsburgh. 

The " upper veins" found wherever the hills on top of the mountain are found, is a 
peculiar coal, nothing like it being found in the lower veins. It bears a strong resem- 
blance to the Connelsville coal ; is soft and easily worked, and would not be called a^ 
merchant coal, but makes intense heat as well as much blaze. The two furnaces now 
in full blast, with this coke, have been able to run and find a market for tlieir products^ 
only because of the superior quality of iron made. 



Iron. 119 

The value of Tennessee coal for making iron being established, a leading journal of 
Pennsylvania, the '■'■ Iron Manufacturer," in a recent article, for the firsttime, as far as I 
have seen, denies that we can make iron cheaper than in Pennsylvania. _ This journal 
admits our advantages over Pennsylvania in iron, but claims that this is overcome in 
the price of coke. He takes Pennsylvania coke at about 1.20 per ton and Tennessee 
coke at about 2.68 per ton, and this is done by taking the one at the lowest price at 
which coke was perhaps ever sold in Pennsylvania, and which it will beadmitted by 
all is below the cost of making it, and the other is taken as sold at a fair profit, with 
100 miles of transportation added. I submit, is this dealing fairly with a young com- 
petitor. Any thinking man will at once ask, can't coke be made as cheap in Tennessee 
as in Pennsylvania. _ _ • _ 

. Pennsylvania has but one place where a first rate iron coke is made, and that being a 
manufacturing town of course, there is no advantage in transportation on coke. 

The iron ore used is brought from Missouri and Michigan, while ours is in the vicin- 
ity of the coal fields. In the celebrated Congressional investigation in 1868, the lead- 
ing iron men of Western Pennsylvania, all stated upon oath, that they could not make 
iron at a cast of less than from twenty-eight to thirty-two dollars per ton. Last year, 
just before the panic, I was informed by a number of iron men, among them Jones and 
Laughlin, that their iron was costing them thirty-five dollars. This was when they 
were paying $14.50 for Lake Superior ore, and $16.50 for Missouri ore. 

By the working of our coke in furnaces now fully tried a Kockwood and Chattanooga, 
icon is made after paying a profit on the raw material, at from $14.50 to $22. Under 
ordinary circumstances, in the iron and coal regions of Tennessee, the cost of making 
iron will not exceed eighteen dollars. Very truly, 

, A. S. COLYAE. 

In the preparation of this article, free use has been made of the ex- 
cellent Geological Report of Dr. Saiford, of the surveys made by Prof. 
Bradley, and the Coals of America, by James Macfarlane, A. M., D. 
Appleton & Co., New York. To Mr. Macfarlane we are also indebted 
for the beautiful map of our coal regions which accompanies this ar- 
ticle. It is copied from the Geologica,l Map of Tennessee. The plate 
was electrotyped at Mr. Macfarlane's expense, and forwarded to the 
Secretary of this Bureau. 



IRON. 

Iron has not been inaptly termed the world's great civilizer — ^the 
mother of all the useful arts. The consumption of it measures the 
progress of civilization, as the manufacture of it measures the progress 
of wealth. Its law of development is traceable to the same agencies 
that, spread population, enterprise, intelligence and learning through- 
out the world. Those nations that have ascended the highest in the 
scale of civilization and refinement, and have made the greatest ad- 
vances in industrial enterprises, are precisely those which have consumed, 
per capita, the largest amount of iron. In 1855, the annual production 
of iron throughout the world was 7,000,000 tons.* Of this amount. 
Great Britain produced 3,500,000 tons, and the United States 1,000,000 

* Many of these figures are derived from an address by Abram Hewitt, before the 
American Philosophical Society, New York. 



I20 



Minerals of Tennessee, 



tons. The consumption of Great Britain at that period was 144 pounds 
per capita; of the United States, eighty-four pounds; while the con- 
sumption of the world was only seventeen pounds per capita. . Since 
1855, the production of iron has been doubled, reaching in 1872, 14- 
000,000 tons; and the consumption has kept pace with the production, 
England now consuming 200 pounds per head, the United States 150 
pounds, and the whole world thirty pounds. Should the whole world 
require as much iron as the United States per capita of population, the 
production will have to be increased to 70,000,000 tons, or five times 
the quantity at present made. 

This country has been the only one in the world that has kept pace 
with Great Britain in the ratio of increase in the production of iron. 
When the latter country produced 3,500,000 tons, we produced 1,000,- 
000. In 1872, her product was 7,000,000 tons, and ours was 2,830,- 
070 net tons, or nearly one-half the product of Great Britain. The 
number of furnaces in operation in that year was 594, and this num- 
ber was increased in 1873 to 636. The production of iron for the last 
named year in the United States was 2,695,434 tons, a slight falling 
off. If the financial crisis had not occurred, the production of 1873 
would have reached 3,000,000 tons. 

The following table will show the production of pig metal in the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and in the United States in the fol- 
lowing years : 



Yeak. 



1740. 
1788. 
1796. 
1806. 
1810. 
1818. 
1820. 
1825. 
1827. 
1828. 
1829. 
1830. 
1831. 
1832. 
1833. 
1835. 
1839. 
1840. 
1842. 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1850. 



U. Kingdom. 
Tons. 



17,350 

68,300 

125,079 

258,206 

'325,060 
368,000 
581,367 
690,500 



678,417 

"760,066 
1,000,000 
1,347,790 
1,248,871 

1,512,566 

r,999,'568 



U. States. 
Tons, 



53,900 



130,000 
142,000 

191,556 
200,000 
225,000 
270,000 
230,000 
286,903 
215,000 
486,000 
765,000 
800,000 
564,755 



Year. 



1852. 
1854. 
1855. 
1856. 
1857. 
1858. 
1859. 
1860. 
1861. 
1862. 
i 863 . 
1864. 
1 1865. 
1866. 
1867. 
1868. 
1869. 
1870. 
1871. 
1872. 
1873. 
1874. 
1875. 



U. Kingdom. 
Tons. 



2,700,000 
3,069,838 
3,218,154 
3,586,377 
3,659,477 
3,456,064 
3,712,904 
3,826,752 
3,712,390 
3,943,469 
4,510,040 
3,767,951 
4,819,254 
4^523,897 
4,761,023 
4,970,206 
5,555,757 
5,963,515 
6,627,179 
7,000,000 



U. States. 
Tons. 



736,248 

784,178 

883,137 

798,157 

705,094 

840,627 

987,559 

731,544 

787,622 

947,604 

1,135,497 

931.582 

1,350,933 

1,461,626 

1,603,000 

2,046,124 

1,850,000 

1,900,000 

2,834,558 

2,868,278 

2,689,413 

2,266,581 



Tlie quantity produced in the United States was from twenty-five 



Iron. 



121 



States and Territoiies. From the most trustworthy information, the 
iron production of Tennessee, charcoal and stouecoal, since 1871, is as 
follows : Bituminous Coal 

Charcoal. and Coke. Total. 

1872 34,094 tons. 8,360 tons. 42,454 tons. 

1873 34,532 " 8,602 " 43,134 " 

1874. 37,227 " 11,543 " 48,770 " 

1875 18,011 " 10,300 " 28,311 « 

Number of stacks completed— 

1873 20 

1874 21 

1875 21 

Number of stacks in blast December 31, 1875 7 

" " out of blast 14 

Eolled iron, excluding rails — 

1873 2,588 net tons. 

1874 1,573 " " 

1875 1,005 " " 

Cut nails and spikes — kegs — 

1874 13,210 

1875 ; 9,795 

About 800 tons of hammered iron are made annually in eighteen 
Catalan forges. 

Railroad iron is made only at Chattanooga in one establishment, 
which turned out 12,250 tons in 1875. 

Recent statistics as to cost of making iron, may be found in the 
Appendix, as well as analyses of ones. 

There are four distinct iron belts or areas in the State of Tennessee, 
occupying in whole or in part forty-four counties, excluding the Cum- 
berland Table-land. 

1. The Eastern Iron Belt — extencis through the State, and lies 
mainly in front and at the base of the Unaka Mountains. 

2. The Dyestone Belt — skirts the eastern base of the Cumberland 
Table-land, or rather of Walden's Ridge, from Virginia to Georgia; 
spreads out laterally from ten to twenty miles into the Valley of East 
Tennessee; the Sequatchee and Elk valleys are included. 

3. The Cumberland Table-land — is co-exrensive with the Coal 
Measures of the State, and extends into Kentucky and Alabama. 

4. The Western Iron Belt — lies west of Nashville, or say west of 
the Central Basin. 

The Eastern Iron Belt. This belt embraces the extreme eastern 
tier of counties, viz : Johnson, Carter, Washington, Greene, Cocke, 
Sevier, Blount, Monroe, McMinn and Polk ; to these we may add 
Sullivan, which adjoins this belt on the north-west. 

Along the North Carolina line is a great double range of mountains, 
constituting one of the natural divisions of the State, and denominated 
the Unakas. This range of mountains consists of several long, high, 
parallel ridges, intersected by deep' cuts or chasms, through which the 
Watauga, Nolichucky, French Broad, Big Pigeon, Little Tennessee, 
Hiwassee and Ocoee rivers flow out of North Carolina and Georgia 
into this State. A part of this range is called Smoky Range. The 
ore banks of the Eastern Iron Belt lie mainly to the north-west of 



122 Minerals of Tennessee. 

this Smoky Range, some of them, however, occurring in the valleys 
and coves between the more westerly ridges. 

The most important ore found is what mineralogists call lAinionite^ 
a compound of iron, one form of which, common iron-rust, is well- 
known. In nature it is found in all sorts of forms, sometimes as yel- 
low powder, which, when mixed with clay, is "yellow ochre;" some- 
times as a porus sponge-like mass, called honey-comb ore; again in a 
compact, hard stone-like condition. It not unfrequently occurs in cu- 
rious stalactitic forms, and often in hollow balls, or "pots," sometimes 
open, dark, lustrous and slaggy in appearance, occasionally with an 
iridescent play of colors. In all these forms, however, it retains the 
simple chemical composition of ordinary iron-rust. That composition, 
when the mineral is pure, that is to say, when there is no clay, or sand, 
or other foreign substance mixed with it, which by the way is usual, is 
in percentage numbers as follows : 

Iron 59.92 

Oxygen 25.68 

Water 14.40 

100.00 

It contains, therefore, when pure, very nearly 60 lbs. of iron to the 
hundred. Practically, owing to the presence of impurities, and losses 
in the reduction, it never yields so much. 

The purest possible Limonite, or Brown Hematite, cannot possibly 
contain more than sixty per cent, of pure iron, the assertions of min- 
eral enthusiasts to the contrary notwishstanding, unless it has under- 
gone the process of roasting, whereby the water is expelled. 

This ore does not occur in regularly stratified beds like the Dyestone, 
to be mentioned, nor in true veins like many other metalliferous min- 
erals, but is met with in irregular masses of all sizes, from small lumps 
(shot ore) up to blocks ten or fifteen feet in diameter. The matrix is 
composed of clay, gravel and decomposing rock. A spot of ground, 
(it may be a knoll, part of a ridge, or part of a mountain slope,) in 
which the ore is discovered by digging, is called a bank. A bank may 
be defined to be an area beneath which lies a considerable depth of 
clay, sand and rocky debris, interspersed with which iron ore (Limo- 
nite) is to be found in greater or less quantity, the ore presenting itself, 
as stated, in irregular masses. The banks differ riiuch in quantity of 
ore — some are said to be rich ; others are poor, requiring the removal 
of much foreign matter; others, again, are little else than clay and 
debris — all require the removal of more or less dead matter before the 
ore can be obtained. In many banks great excavations, mostly open 
to the day, have been made, into Avhich large buildings might be 
thrown. The banks, although in some cases a hundred feet in depth, 

* Limonite is derived from a Greek word, signifying meadows, because this ore was 
first found in boggy or marshy places. The term includes both bog ore and brown 
hematite. 



Iron. 123 

are superficial formations, and rest upon stratified limestones, shales, 
and other rocks. As may be inferred, mining in such banks is 
rather an uncertain business, both as to the quantity and the exact 
position of the ore. Nevertheless, the best of them yield an abundance 
of mineral. 

In a given valley, or on a given ridge, there may be from one to a 
dozen banks, the latter of any length from a hundred yards to a mile. 
In the Eastern Belt, banks occur in all the counties. Johnson and Car- 
ter contain many of them, some of which are exceedingly valuable. 

In Bompass Cove, Washington county, are immense deposits of Lim- 
onite iron ore. These banks are very rich, and are found in knolls, hills 
and ridges, which rise above the level of the valley from 50 to 250 • 
feet. The matrix is a deep brown, or chocolate colored earth, and the 
ore occurs in masses of all sizes, from small grains up to lumps as large 
as a sugar hogshead. Some of the ore contains lead and zinc, and also 
iron py'rites. The limestones and Dolomites of the region also contain 
galena in disseminated grains, and at one point the galena is so abun- 
dant that it has been worked as a lead mine, the machinery, however, 
has o-one to ruin. As to the amount of iron ore in this cove no proper 
estimate can be made, but there is but little doubt that it is practically 
inexhaustible. And this cove is but a type of the numerous coves 
which occur from Johnson to Polk. 

In Greene county there are very good banks. Two large furnaces 
have been erected in this county since the war. The ore yields from 
forty to fifty per cent, of tough grey iron. That used at one of the 
furnaces in this county is obtained by running a drift 750 feet into one 
of the hills about 1,000 feet from the furnace. At this distance a mass 
of almost solid ore, with a matrix of white chalky earth is found, so 
easily obtained that twelve men get out 30 car loads a day, weighing 
each 3,000 pounds. The screenings of the ore amount to 2-9 of the 
whole, and of the screenings about -| is good ore. The drift passes 
through 600 feet of Dolomite which dips at an angle of 45 degrees. 
The deeper the excavations, the better the ore. It is said, however, to 
be more refractory than the same kind of ore found in Stewart, Mont- 
gomery and other counties of the western iron belt. 

Limonite, as has been stated, is the principal ore of this belt. ^ In 
addition to this, the black ore of iron. Magnetite^ of the mineralogists, 
occurs at one point at Crab Orchard, near the North Carolina line in 
Carter county. How much of this there may be we are not able to 
state. Much excellent bar iron has been manufactured from^ it in a 
common bloomary. In Sullivan county, in addition to the Limonite 
banks, are banks of red ores, Hematites.f The Crockett and Sharp 
banks afford this variety, and are capable of supplying much good ore. 

*Magnetite takes its name from the property the ore has of being attractable by the 
magnet. 

tHematite comee from a Greek word signifying blood, because of the blood-like col- 
or of the iron ore. The term brown Hematite, as applied to limonite, would appear to 
be a misnomer. 



124 Minerals of Tennessee. 

Ill McMinn county is a remarkable deposit of stratified red ore, which, 
on account of its proximity to the Unaka Range, we include in the 
Eastern Belt. This is HilFs Bank. The ore is a stratified, fossiliferous 
rock, much like the ore of the Dyestone Belt, to be mentioned. This 
bed of ore is noticeable from the fact that it belongs to the Lower Sil- 
urian series, while the Dyestone belongs to the Upper Silurian. The 
main outcrop is a third of a mile or more in length, and at some points 
fifty or sixty feet wide. 

A similar ore of the same age outcrops in the red hills, just south 
of the railroad between Philadelphia and Sweetwater. It is accom- 
panied by good mangenese ore. The thickness of the bed has never 
been ascertained, but the abundance of surface ore appears to indicate 
workable amounts. Hematite, in the form known as specular iron, 
occurs in the eastern edge of Cocke county, in beds ten feet or more 
in thickness. The ore is pretty constantly mingled with quartz and 
feldspar, which are sometimes present in such quantities as to make it 
worthless, but other portions contain no more silica than can readily 
be fluxed off in the furnace. The special interest of the ore consists 
in its extremely small content of phosphorus, only six thousandths of 
one per cent, according to analyses made by Prof. O. D. Allen, of the 
Sheffield Scientific School, one of the best analysts in the country. 
The ore is plainly well fitted for making the best grades of Bessemer 
steel. 

The Tellico ores in Monroe county are varied. The. Limonite is 
most abundant, but there are a few localities where the Hematite and 
Magnetite are found. The Hematite ore is so compact that blasting 
powder is used in raising it. It is very pure, having a few seams of 
yellow ochre and white chalky earth. 

Shot ore is likewise found in this vicinity. Donelley's Bank is the 
name of the principal, deposit of this ore. A tunnel has been driven 
into a ridge, and for a while large quantities were taken out that 
yield in the furnace fifty per cent. 

Many years ago the immense masses of brown Hematite which cap 
the copper veins at Ducktown, in Polk county, attracted the attention 
of iron men. Many attempts were made to work it, but the small per- 
centage of copper ore present made the iron worthless. Time m&,y 
develop processes by which it can be made available, but at present 
the quality of iron is what is called " red short," and is almost worth- 
less for any practical purposes. 

The cost of making iron in the eastern iron belt has been definitely 
ascertained at two of the furnaces. The furnace at Embreville (now 
out of blast) is cold blast charcoal, with two teyers driven by water 
power. The ore is brought from banks at the foot of Bompass cove, 
three miles south of the furnace and delivered in the furnace loft at 
two dollars and fifty cents per ton. Charcoal is burnt by contract at 
five cents per bushel, and delivered at six and a half cents. Good re- 
liable labor can be procured for one dollar per day. The estimate is 
two tons of ore, and 150 bushels of charcoal for one of iron. 



Iron. 



125 



At the Unaka furnace in Greene county, all the work. except that 
done by the immediate furnace hands, is done by contract. Coal is 
burnt and delivered at prices varying from six to seven and a half 
cents per bushel, according to the magnitude of the contract, the high- 
est price being paid on the largest contracts. Though owning rich 
banks of ore, the proprietor has been supplied by outside parties, who 
are paid five dollars for every ton of iron made from the ore delivered, 
or a little less than two dollars and fifty cents a ton for ore. Wood 
privileges are purchased at five cents per cord or two dollars per acre. 

One peculiarity about the ore obtained at Unaka furnace is that no 
flux is required in its reduction. It is largely intermixed with the 
black oxide of mangenese, which answers the purpose of a flux. The 
yield from the furnace will average about flffrj^-three per cent, and the 
amount of charcoal used for a ton of pig metal will average about 120 
bushels. The furnace is hot-blast, with three tuyers, the blast being 
driven by a sixty-five horse-power steam engine, the surplus gas from 
the tunnel head being used to generate steam. The circle at the bot- 
tom of hearth is forty-four inches ; height of tuyers from bottom of 
hearth, twenty-four inches; inclination of boeh, 66 degrees; width^ 
nine feet three inches; height of stack, thirty-two feet five inches; size 
of tunnel head, twenty-one inches. The following will show the cost 
of making nine tons of pig metal, being one day's work : 

Ore for nine tons at $5 $ 45 00 

Actual expense to put in furnace, including roasting, washing, etc 15 25 

All furnace hands, including engineers, salaried officers, etc 17 50 

840 bushels coal at seven cents 58 80 

$136 55 
One-ninth of which is 15 17 

To this should be added the interest on investment, say, one dollar^ 
and five dollars, the cost of delivering to Greeneville, making 
the whole cost delivered on the railroad twenty-one dollars and seven- 
teen cents. But, as the work is nearly all paid in goods, upon which 
a profit of from thirty to 100 per cent, is realized, it brings down the 
actual cost to very low figures, not more than fifteen dollars per ton 
in money delivered on the railroad. 

Potsdale furnace, within two miles of the Unaka, is out of blast. It 
used ore from the same banks and had a capacity of about six tons per 
day. 

The quantity of iron made in the eastern iron belt is small, on ac- 
count of the inadequacy of railroad facilities. While the quantity 
produced in this region will not exceed 7,000 tons annually, the capac- 
ity of the furnaces is equal to the production of 15,000 tons. This 
charcoal, cold-blast iron is very superior, its chilling properties are 
just such as to make it most suitable for the manufacture of car wheels 
and nearly all the iron made in this region is consumed in Knoxville 
and at other points for that purpose. It has been pronounced equal to 
the best made anywhere for car wheels, axles, locomotive tires, and, 
indeed, for everytliing in which toughness, elasti|ity and strength are re- 



126 Minerals of Tennessee. 

quired. A fair test was also given to this iron at West Point, for ar- 
mory purposes, and proved entirely satisfactory. 

The Dyestone Belt. This belt of iron ore is remarkable for its 
length and richness. It skirts the eastern base of the Cumberland 
Table-land, and extends from Chattanooga to Cumberland Gap, a dis- 
tance of one hundred and sixty miles. The following counties, or 
parts of them, are embraced Avithin this belt : Hancock, Claiborne, 
Grainger, Union, Campbell, Anderson, Roane, Rhea, Meigs, James, 
Bradley and Hamilton. The belt includes the Sequatchie and the Elk 
Fork Valleys, which places parts of Marion, Sequatchie and Bledsoe 
counties within its area. 

The chief ore of this belt is a stratified red iron-rock, called at 
many points Dyestone, being sometimes used for dyeing purposes. It 
is highly fossiliferous. Like a limestone, or a bed of coal, and unlike 
the Limonite of the Eastern Belt, it occurs in layers. Its quantity, 
in any given locality, can therefore be estimated, and the result of a 
given amount of mining can be calculated with some precision. As a 
mineral species, the ore is a variety of Hematite, which in plain En- 
glish is blood-stone, the word referring to the color of the ore. If we 
take common iron-rust and burn it, we obtain a red rust, the change 
being brought about by the expulsion of water simply. Common 
brown or yellow iron-rust is then Limonite, the same burned is red 
Hematite. By the burning more than fourteen per cent, of water is 
expelled. The composition of Hematite is as follows : 

Iron , : 70 

Oxygen 30 

100 

One hundred pounds of the pure ore might be made to yield seventy 
pounds of iron, but, as in case of Limonite, the impurities defeat this 
maximum production. In practice from forty to fifty per cent, (and 
rarely sixty) may be regarded as a good yield. The ore usually soils 
the fingers readily. At some points it is hard and is quarried out iu 
blocks; occasionally it is soft and easily crushed. The impurities in 
it are sandy and argillaceous matter and carbonate of lime. Origin- 
ally much of it contained limestone matter, this having been in the 
course of ages leached out, leaving red layers as we now find them. 

One, and at many points, two or more layers of Dyestone outcrop 
at the eastern base of the Table-land, almost without a break, through- 
out its whole extent from Virginia to Georgia. Also in many of the 
minor ridges, lying from one to ten miles from the Table-land but run- 
ning parallel with its eastern border, are other outcropping layers. 
The latter will perhaps, in the aggregate, equal an outcrop extending 
continuously through the State and following the direction, as above, of 
the outline of the Table-land. In addition there are lines of outcrops 
in Sequatchie and Elk Fork Valleys. Elk Fork Valley is in the ex- 
ti'eme north-western part of Campbell county. 

One of the riche|t deposits of this ore occurs within a few hundred 



Iron, 127 

yards of Cumberland Gap, and extends without a break twenty miles 
alono- the mountain, and is half a mile in width. It forms a regular 
stratum of Walden's Ridge, four feet beneath the surface and varies 
from eio-hteen inches to three feet in thickness. This stratum is par- 
allel with the slope of the ridge, and forms a complete sheet or shield, 
with an overlying stratum of clay, sand, and gravel. The ore is raised 
with powder and thrown out in large, broad sheets. It is here very 
hard and massive. The whole cost of raising this ore at Cumberland 
Gap and depositing it in the bridge loft ready for smelting, is one dol- 
lar per ton. This fact will be appreciated by the reader when he re- 
flects that ores delivered ready for smelting in the Pittsburg furnaces 
cost from eight to twelve dollars per ton. On the spurs which shoot 
out from the Cumberland Table-land are deposits of Limonite iron ore 
of superior excellence, yielding from the furnace fifty per cent, This 
ore caps the hills, forming a ledge with intermingling gravel from six- 
teen to eighteen feet in thickness. Some of these beds are said to 
have an unusually small quantity of dead matter. In other places in 
the same vicinity are said to be deposits of theblack oxide, and sih- 
cious iron ore, which have never yet been tested in a furnace. 

Limestone for flux and sandstone for hearths are found all through 
the Dyestone region. Coal, too, abounds in juxtaposition to the iron 
ore, though preference, until the establishment of Rockwood Furnace, 
was given to charcoal, for the manufacture of which there are ample 
supplies of timber. Until the erection of Rockwood Furnace, since 
the war, stone coal had never been used in this State for the smelting 

of iron. • 1 tt ii? t\t 

Very fine deposits of this Dyestone ore occur m the Halt Moon 
Island region, both on the Island and on the mainland. Being on 
the river, it is easily transported at small cost to Chattanooga and 
other points. 

A heavy bed of ore along this line of outcrop occurs on Col. 
Welcker's land just above Kingston. H. E. Colton and others are 
erecting at Kingston a twenty-ton charcoal-furnace to use this ore. 

But we cannot pretend, within our limits, to point out all the ad- 
vantages which this region afibrds for the manufacture of iron, or to 
enumerate all the exposures of ores. What has been said is sufficient, 
perhaps, to give a general idea of the facts. The thickness of the 
layers varies from a few inches to four and five feet, sometimes swell- 
ing out locally from eight to ten. 

So far we have spoken of the Dyestone as occuring in Tennessee ; 
but it has a great range outside of the State. It extends south-west- 
ward through the north-west corner of Georgia far into Alabama, 
and is represented by several lines of outcrops. It is the Red Moun- 
tain ore of Alabama, and has yielded many hundred tons of iron in 
that State. To the north-west it extends into Virginia, and indeed 
through it, reaching into eastern Pennsylvania, where it is extensively 
reduced in splendidly appointed furnaces. 

The layers of ore are attended with shales and thin sandstones* 



128 Minerals of Tennessee, 

which, with the ore, make up the Dyestone Group or formation. This 
is a part of the Niagara geological series. The Dyestone Group is 
often associated, in the ridges, with two other formations, the Black 
Shale and the Siliceous Group, both of which lie above it. The three 
make a trio of formations often met with. 

Prior to the war there were in the Dyestone Belt jBve blast furnaces 
and fifteen bloomaries. The qi>ality of the iron made was excellent. 
Soon after the end of the war attention again began to be directed to 
the Dyestone beds, and it was not long before a new era in iron mak- 
ing was inaugurated in a portion of the belt, by the building of a su- 
perior furnace in Roane county at Rockwood. Including the one at 
Chattanooga, there are still five furnaces in the Dyestone Belt, only 
one of which uses charcoal. 

There will always be a difference of opinion as to the cost of mak- 
ing iron, but we propose to give the reader the benefit of such facts as 
we have been able to collect by a visit to the furnaces, and by an in- 
spection of the books of the superintendents. 

The daily product at the Cumberland Gap furnace is about three 
and one-fourth tons. This furnace is cold blast. It uses charcoal as 
fuel, the cost of which is six cents per bushel. Cost of raising ore, 
fifty cents ; cost of delivering, fifty cents. Two hundred bushels of 
charcoal and two tons of ore are required to make a ton of iron. 
Labor at the furnace for each ton of iron costs $3 35. Flux costs one 
dollar per ton delivered. Forty cents per cord is paid for cutting 
wood. The estimated cost of making a ton of cold-blast charcoal pig- 
iron at this point is as follows : 

200 bushels of charcoal, at 6 cents $12 00 

2 tons of ore, at SI per ton 2 00 

One-fourth ton limestone, at $1 per ton 25 

Superintendence and labor, per ton 3 35 

Interest on investment 80 

Incidentals and repaira, per ton • 1 00 

Total $19 40 

The iron made &,t this point is shipped out by PowelPs river to 
Chattanooga. 

The cost of making iron at Rock wood, in Roane county, according 
to the statement of Gen. Wilder, (see letter to Crutchfield,) was in 1872 
$14.13 per ton; in 1873 $15.92, and more recent estimates place it as 
high as $18.00. 

There is now in operation a furnace at Chattanooga, erected during 
the year 1874 at a cost of $100,000, with a capacity of twenty-five to 
thirty tons per day. It is hot blast, stone coal, and blown with four 
layers, and three nozles. The blowing cylinder is six feet in diameter, 
four feet stroke, and thirty revolutions per minute. The following 
charges were made, after two months run, in twenty-four hours, the yi^d 
being twenty tons. The prices is for all material delivered in the 
stock-houses: 



Iron. 129 

1760 bushels of coke, at lOf cents $189.20 

Ore (brown hematrite) 42800 lbs., at $3.20 per ton 6l!l4 

Ore (red hematite) 37450 lbs., at $3 per ton 50.15 

Limestone, 36380 lbs., at %\ per ton 17.00 

Labor and salaries 48.00 

Interest 22.00 

Repairs 20.00 

$407.49 

Divide by 20 and the quotient $20.37 will represent the total cost of 
making iron at that point with mixed ores while the furnace was run- 
ning at only four-fifths of its capacity. The yield of ore from the fur- 
nace amounted to 55.8 per cent. The limestone used contained 95.4 
per cent, of carbonate of lime, 3.3 magnesia, and a small quantity of 
alumina and silica. The ores work easily, the blast at no time exceed- 
ing 600 degrees, as indicated by the pyrometer. The quality of the 
iron produced has the appearance of the Scotch pig, and is far superior 
to the common mill iron usually made by hot blast from stone coal. 
This Chattanooga iron brought in the market from $30 to $35 per ton 
at a time when the iron market was most depressed. It was the opin- 
ion of the officers that more fuel was used than necessary for the re- 
duction of the ores, and this amount was gradually lessening at the 
date of our visit. The limestone is obtained in the city of Chattanooga, 
the brown hematite (limonite) from Georgia, and the red hematite from 
near Pin Hook landihg, eighty miles above Chattanooga on the Ten- 
nessee river. 

We have already said that the Dyestone Belt lies at the very base of 
the Coal Measures. Here, then, are sandwiched, coal, iron ore, lime- 
stone and sandstone, the latter suitable for hearths. This circumstance 
adds much to the interest of this region. Nothing is lacking to make 
it one of the most famous metallurgical centres in America but facilities 
for transportation, capital and enterprise. The Cincinnati Southern 
railroad is already under contract through this iron belt, and doubtless 
in a short time the iron horse, with his civilized shriek, will run over 
beds of ore as rich and as exhaustless as any that exist on the continent. 
A chain of fiery furnaces will then be built that will illumine the whole 
eastern margin of the Cumberland Table-land. The light of one will 
reflect back the light of another. The wildness of the forest will be 
replaced by enterprising industry, and there will gather along this line 
busy communities. Flourishing towns will spring up, in which manu- 
facturers from the colder regions of the north will rear their establish- 
ments for the fabrication of fire-arms, cutlery and farming implements. 
Under the shadow of the mountains a new empire of industry Avill 
spring up, in which there will be no idlers. With the creative power 
of coal the iron rocks that have slumbered fcr unknown ages beneath 
the surface will be fashioned into articles of utility and value. Pon- 
derous trip hammers will shake the earthy and the eternal whir and 
buzz of machinery will make the very atmosphere redolent of life and 
enterprise. Farms in the long, rich valleys will teem with luxuriant 
crops, that will find a ready market near, at good prices, and commu- 
9 



130 Minerals of Tennessee. 

nities tliat now live from hand to mouth will revel in all the blessings, 
superfluities and luxuries of life. 

Nor is this a fancy picture. Under a good government, in a happy 
climate, wherever coal and iron lie in juxtaposition, and are made ac- 
cessible by -railroad communication, great centres of population are 
established. See Pittsburg, how opulent! Mr. Valentine, the able 
superintendent of Wells and Fargo's Express, says of it : — " If you 
would see what coal can do for a people who turn it to full account, 
look at Pittsburg, a city with its environs of 300,000 inhabitants built 
up by miners of coal. There are no drones in its hive — heads and 
hands are busy. It lost $30,000,000 by the war without shaking its 
credit. No city on this continent contains more solid wealth according 
to its population." If coal can do this for Pittsburg, surely coal and 
iron can do the same for this portion of Tennessee, and Knoxville and 
Chattanooga will gather into their laps an almost fabulous wealth, and 
in time become the Sheffields and Pittsburgs of the South. 

The following is the letter from Gen. J. T. Wilder referred to : 

EocKwooc, Tenn., March 10, 1873. 
Mr. Tom Grutchjield, Commissioner of Agriculture, Tennessee : 

Deah Sir: — Your favor, asking me to give you a general outline of the mineral re- 
sources of East Tennessee, is received. With diffidence I undertake the subject, know- 
ing my inability to do it half justice, yet feeling anxious to assist, in such manner as I 
may, the early development of the vast mineral resources of this wonderful country. 

East Tennessee is partly a high Valley, elevated 1000 feet above the sea, running 
north-east and south-west about two hundred and eighty miles from Chattanooga, on 
the southern line of the State to Bristol, at the north-eastern end, the line of Virginia, 
with an average width of sixty miles. It is bounded on the south-eastern aide by the 
lofty chain of the Unaka range of mountains, reaching sometimes an elevation of over 
6,000 feet above the sea, with frequent gaps, through which numerous rivers flow to the 
north-west. Still further to the south east, about fifty miles in North Carolina, is the 
unbroken chain of the Blue Kidge, over six thousand feet high. On the north-western 
side of the Valley is the level-topped Cumberland mountain plateau, sixty miles wide, 
with its south-eastern side next to the Valley of East Tennessee. For a distance of 180 
miles fi'om Sale Creek (thirty miles above Chattanooga) to Cumberland Gap, it is tilted 
up or folded back against the horizontally stratified Cumberland mountains. This up- 
lifted edge is called Walden Eidge, and is the south-eastern limit of the great Apalla- 
chian coal field which runs entirely across the State, from north-east to south-west, with 
an elevation of 2,000 feet, and an average of fifty miles wide by one hundred long, 
making a coal field of over 5,000 square miles, or 3,820,000 acres ; which is nearly 
equal to the productive coal area of Great Britain, including England, Scotland, Wales 
and Ireland. 

The Valley of East Tennessee is corrugated throughout its entire length with a num- 
ber of low ridges running parallel to each other N.E. and S.W. with the Valley. The 
rivers from the valley of western North Carolina, at the base of the Blue Kidge, cut 
through the Unaka chain, and through the numberless ridges of the Valley, until they 
unite in the Tennessee river, at the base of the Cumberland coal field, following which 
to the southern limit of the State at Chattanooga, the last named river suddenly turns 
its course and hews its way through the Cumberland chain to the north-west. Here, in 
the heart of the great Valley of the Mississippi, it ofiers its clear, deep current to . bear 
the commerce of 15,000 miles of navigable waters back through 800 miles of cotton 
and corn fields, through five great states, to its mountains of coal and iron, veins of cop- 
per, placers of gold and hills of marble, in a climate like Northern Italy ; adding with 
its branches 1,800 other miles of navigable waters to the wonderful network of great 
rivers that form the national highways for the products of more than half the states of 
this Union, and bearing a tonnage greater than that of any nation of Europe. 



Iron. 131 

This wonderful Valley of East Tennessee is lowest near the base of the Cumberland 
mountain, containing the coal fields on its north-west side. All its streams head in North 
Carolina and Western Virginia, and drain north-west into Tennessee, each river forming 
a natural highway down stream to the coal fields. Nearly every ridge in the Valley 
contains minerals of some kind, the cut^ through which the rivers flow forming natural 
openings to the veins of iron ore, which outcrop in nearly every ridge, whilst the great 
Alleghany chain is ribbed and seamed with iron ore of nearly every known variety. 
From the same range are taken large quantities of copper at Ducktown, whilst all along 
its northern base runs a great, broad belt of roofing slate and most beautiful black mar- 
ble intersected with snow-white veins. Along the base of the Cumberland range runs 
entirely through the State, a low range or ridge of about 200 feet altitude above drain- 
age, containing invariably two seams of red fossiliferous iron ore, varying in thickness 
from three to ten feet, cropping out through the crest of the ridge on its southern slope, 
and dipping at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the north-west. It is supposed to 
extend under the coal field ; at all events, it crops out at precisely the same geological 
horizon on the opposite side of Walden's Kidge, in Sequatchie Valley and in Elk "Val- 
ley opposite Knoxville, localities 100 miles apart, and each ten miles from the place of 
disappearance of the ore at the south-east base of the mountain. The coal in Walden's 
Ridge is a dry, semi-bituminous or rather semi-anthracite, working raw in the blast 
furnace, and requiring at Eockwood about two and three-fourths of a ton of coal to 
make one ton of pig-metal. The ore averages a yield of sixty per cent, of iron, and the 
sub-carboniferous limestone furnishes ample and excellent fluxing material, requiring 
tAventy to twenty-five per cent of flux. Nowhere along this long line of 160 miles is it 
more than half a mile from the iron ore to the coal beds, while the massive limestones 
are invariably between them the entire distance. The coal at Kockwood is very much 
disturbed, varying from one to over one hundred feet in thickness. Our No. 1 furnace 
has been in blast most of the time for over four years, making a fine quality of pig-iron 
for rails with only one kind of ore. No. 2 furnace, of forty tons capacity, will be put 
to work early in the spring, when we will turn out, with both furnaces, seventy-five tons 
of pig iron per day.* At the base of the XJnaka chain, on the south side of the Valley, 
is a wide chain of high knobs, in many of which are wonderful beds of the finest brown 
Hematite iron ore, some of which contain manganese. In the Unaka chain are inex- 
haustible vtins of brown Hematite, and in the high mountains of the Blue Eidge are 
large veins of magnetic iron ores. All these mnst go with the rivers to the coal fields 
on the north-west side of the great Valley, for this reason — tliat it requires one ton and 
a half of good iron ore to make one ton of pig-iron, and it takes about three tons of coal 
to reduce it, and three to four more tons of coal to convert and finish it into bar iron ; 
thus using seven tons of coal to produce one ton of merchantable iron, and one-third 
of a ton of limestone, making in all seven tons and a half of fuel and flux. These are 
found contiguous to large and persistent beds of iron, ore, only requiring a mixture of 
one half of the brown Hematite and Magnetic ores to make merchantable iron, fit for 
any use in arts and commerce, and giving the advantage to manufacturers located near 
the coal in proportion to the greater tonnage of fuel and flux used, to the vastly lesser 
weights and freight of ores required to produce one ton of iron ; in other words, saving 
in the production of pig-iron one half the transportation, and in bar or plate iron or 
nails, nearly 500 per cent. This is the advantage enjoyed by the manufacturers on the 
north-west side of the Valley, over those located on the south-east side, where there are 
plenty of ores and no coal. Thus is insured to the north-west side of the Valley, along the 
proposed route of the Cincinnati Southern Eailroad, a continuous line of works and a 
dense producing population. A few words might be added, giving a geological outline 
of a cross section of this Valley and its mountains on either side. Commencing in North 
Carolina, with the range of the Blue Eidge is an enormous Eozoic upheaval ribbed with 
iron ores ; thence north-west crossing granite formations to the metamorphic rocks of the 
Smoky or Unaka chain, walling long veins of copper and iron ores ; thence through 
great beds of roofing slate, across the Silurian ridges of the broad Valley, to the single 
lines of Devonian shales at the base of the Cumberland range. In the steep wall of this 
mountain you cross three workable veins of finest coal, cropping out above drainage, and 
reach the level top of the coal fields, having less than one hundred miles passed from 
the lowest primitive rocks across the Metamorphic, Silurian, Devonian, and Carbonif- 

* No 2 is now in operation, and turns out an average of 30 tons per day, though aa 
high as forty and a half tons have been the result of twenty-four hours work. 



132 Minerals of Tennessee. 

erous formations. These turned up on edge show all the wonderful provisions of nature 
in minerals, ready for the hand of man, deposited and hidden in the past ages, but un- 
sealed and opened by the Creator's engineers and contractors— the earthquakes of the- 
past and rivers of the present — and asking in mute eloquence for the mind and hand of 
man to take from their abundance and make them useful. These ranges and valleys 
are in a climate unequalled in salubrity and average comfort of temperature — the 
driving storms of the great plains of the North-west being shut off by the continuous 
chain of the Cumberland mountain, and the raging gales of the Atlantic seabord stop- 
ped short of our valleys by the range of the Blue Eidge and Unakas.^ These causes 
render this high mountain-walled Valley not only more temperate in winter, but much 
cooler in summer than any valley south of the great lakes or east of the Pacific coast, 
and free from malaria, while the greater number of medicinal springs of almost every 
known property or variety, makes our valleys a favorite resort for persons seeking either 
health or pleasure. 

I have written these disjointed papers in a great hurry, being unable either to copy 
or correct, and send them as crude ores to be refined by workers in words, hoping they 
may direct more capable persona to call just attention to our enormous resources, I 
having, pioneer-like, but " blazed out " the road. 

I am earnestly yours, J. T. Wilder. 

Appended please find a copy from our books of the workings of cur- 
furnace for the past two months : 

Monthly Report of Rockwood Furnace for the Month ending Satwrday, December 26, 1872.. 

Material, etc. Pounds. 

Ore charged 2,144,000 $2,8S5 86 

Coke " 891,200 2,005 20 

Coal " 1,339,200 1,101 80 

Limestone 552,700 304 59 

Labor 1,170 15 

Salaries 400 00 

Material from Store 303 37 

Blacksmithing 118 56 

Foundry Castings 98 03 

Total $8,337 59 

Produce, 590 tons No. 1 mill iron, cost, $14.13 per ton. Ore yield- 
ing 62 40-100 per cent. 

Report of Rochwood Furnace for the Month ennding Saturday, January — , 1873. 

Material, etc. No. Pounds. 

Ore charged 2,145,500 $3,194 80 

Coke 1,408,800 3,169 80 

Coal charged 1,636,600 1,405 77 

Limestone , 601,800 331 61 

Labor 1,486 10 

Salaries 580 00 

Materials from Store 127 95 

Blacksmithing ' 68 15 

Foundry castings 98 03 

Total $10,433 38 

Product, 655 tons No. 1 mill iron; cost, $15.92 per ton. Ore yield- 
ing 62 78-100 per cent. Ores are charged at three dollars per ton, 
and actually cost by contract two dollars per ton. All allowances are 
made to cover any possible waste or cost of extra handling. 

The cost for January is unusual, owing to the greater amount of 
coke used, in that month, to reduce the amount of stock of coke on 



Iron. 



133 



iiand. Ore yielded for the time quoted above 62 59-100, and an aver- 
age of 2.715 tons of coal used for each ton of iron produced. 

W. F. Sanks— for D. E. Eees, Agent. 
J. T. Wilder, Superintendent. 

We may add here that the heaviest collection of ores which were 
-seen at the Vienna Exhibition, in 1873, came from Tennessee, and 
was under the charge of General Wilder. The collection was honored 
with a premium, though it arrived very late. 

The following table will show the number of furnaces now in East 
Tennessee, and also, those in procoss of construction, with their capac- 
ties, etc. : 



COITNTIES. 



'darter.... 
Johnson. 
Washin'ton 

■Greene 

Greene 

Claiborne .. 

Eoane 

Koane 

Eoane 

Hamilton... 

Eoane 

JElhea 



NAME OF FURNACE. 



Knoxville Car Co 

Bushong ■ 

Embreville 

Unaka 

Postdale 

Cumb. Gap. I. W 

Oakdale 

Eockwood No. 1... 
Kockwood No. 2... 
Chattanooga IronCo 
Kingston Furnace... 
Rhea Iron Co 



FUEL. 


BLAST. 


charcoal ... 


cold ... 


do 


do 


do 


do 


do 


hot 


do 


cold ... 


do 


do 


ooal, coke.. 


hot 


do 


do 


do 


do 


do 


do 


charcoal.... 


do 


coke, coal.. 


do 



KIND OP ORE 



limonite 

do 

do 

do 

do 
red hemetite 

do 

do 

do 
mixed ore... 

do 
red hematite 



AVERAGE 

YIELD PER 

MONTH. 



200 tons., 

100 do 

200 do 

270 do 

200 d.) 

112 do 

900 do 

576 do 

900 do 

750 do 

600 do 

900 do 



REMARKS. 



in blast... 

do 
putof blast 
in blast... 
outof blast 
iu blast... 
outof blast 

do 
in blast... 

do 
in pro.con. 

do 



The Iron Ore of the Cumberland Table Land. The ore 
found in this region lies interstratified with the shale, sandstone and 
coal of the Coal Measures. It is called clay iron-stone, and is an ar- 
gillacious carbonate of iron. It occurs mostly in nodules, but some- 
times in layers, and is co-extensive with the coal fields. The low per 
cent, of pure iron found in it, rarely over thirty per cent., usually 
twenty, and its comparative scarcity, have caused it to be neglected by 
■our producers of iron. In England the largest quantity of iron is 
made from this ore, and doubtless the time will come when the iron- 
stones of Tennessee will be smelted in our furnaces. This, for iron 
ore, is the least valuable of our iron belts. It covers over 5,000 square 
miles. 

The Western Iron Belt. A line drawn from Clarksville, Ten- 
nessee, to Florence, Alabama, would pass through the center of 
the Western Iron Belt. It is about fifty miles wide, and extends 
through the State, often overleaping the Tennessee River, pass- 
sing into Kentucky and reaching to the Ohio River. It embraces an 
area of more than 5,400 square miles. It includes all or parts of the 
following counties : Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Lewis, Perry, Deca- 
tur, Hickman, Humphreys, Benton, Dickson, Montgomery, Houston 
and Stewart. On the eastern side of the Central Basin, at the foot of 
the CM'Tiberland Table-land, is the counterpart of this Western Iron 



134 Minerals of Tennessee. 

Belt. It embraces the counties of "Warren, White, Putnam, Overtoa 
and Van Buren. 

Could one be elevated so as to have in view the whole of this part 
of Tennessee, he would see no such mountains as present themselves 
in the eastern part of the State, but reaching north in Kentucky, and 
south into Alabama, would be seen an elevated plateau country, cov- 
ered for the most part with forest trees, though showing some cultiva- 
ted areas, and here and there a town. In sight to the east and bound- 
ing the plateau on that side would lie the depressed and fertile Cen- 
tral Basin, holding the capital and many towns, while, to the west,, 
would lie across the State, and bounding the elevated area in that di- 
rection, the narrow broken valley of the Tennessee river. 

It would be seen, furthermore, that this plateau country is not a lit- 
tle cut and dissected by the valleys of rivers aud creeks. Duck river 
runs through it in a serpentine course, with gleaming brightness, fronx 
east to west. The Cumberland river, with its valley, cuts it complet- 
ely if we include its Kentucky extension. Buffalo river and valley 
lie wholly within it. Besides these, very many creeks with narrow 
valleys curve its edges and fringe it with multitudes of ridges and' 
spurs. This cutting has in some parts of the area resulted in the for- 
mation of rolling lands, especially along the larger streams. There is 
presented along the Cumberland river, for example, at intervals, a 
border of such land several miles wide. 

The rocks underlying the plateau region are limestone, more or less- 
charged with flint-masses (chert,) and fine siliceous and clayey impuri- 
ties. They belong to the two lower divisions of the Carboniferous- 
system, which are known to geologists as the Siliceous Group and the 
Lithostrotion Bed, which are described and known as the Barren 
Group, and the Coral or St. Louis Limestone. The whole country has- 
been undergoing a leaching process for ages. The purer limestone- 
matter has been dissolved and carried away, while the chert, siliceous- 
material and clay have been left behind. The rocks now are gener- 
ally covered with a very considerable depth of such residual debris. 

The Iron Belt may be considered as coinciding, for the most part,, 
with this area. To Tt, however, must be added certain hilly tracts on 
the west side of the Tennessee in Decatur and Benton. Over this 
whole region more or less ore occurs. But only at certain centers is it 
found in sufficient quantity to be made available. These centers pre- 
sent accumulations of ore, and are for that reason called "banks."' 
The ore, like that occuring for the most part in the Eastern Iron Belt, 
is Limonite, sometimes called, as we have said. Brown Hematite. The- 
banks, too, though the kind and the position of the rocks, the topo- 
graphy of the country, and other circumstances, make some difference,, 
resemble those of the Eastern Belt. They have generally a high posi- 
tion, being located, with few exceptions, on the tops or edges of the 
plateau ridges. To appreciate their geological relations, it must be 
borne in mind that these ridges are capped with the leached remains^ 
the debris, of the rocks of the Siliceous Group, these remains consist- 



Iron. ^ 135 

ing of angular fragments of half-decomposed, and often bleached, chert 
and sandstones imbedded in clay, with which is sometimes sand. To 
tliis is very frequently added water-worn gravel. The bed of debris 
is from a few feet to 100 feet in depth, and in it as a matrix the iron 
ore has, at. the centers mentioned, accumulated and formed the banks. 
It may be added that some localities do not abound in chert ; a few 
afford ore in red clay alone. 

The banks vary greatly in the richness of ores and in their extent. 
Some of them cover whole square miles, while others occupy only an 
acre or two. Oftentimes the ore is intermixed with hard cemented 
cherty masses, and yields but a poor return from the furnace. Again 
it is comparatively free from impurities, yields, when worked, from 
forty to fifty-five per cent. The lumps, as taken from the beds, are of 
various sizes, from a few inches to a yard in thickness, and in all pos- 
sible shapes. In Wayne county, near the Wayne Furnace, at the 
depth of thirty or forty feet beneath the crests of the ridges, large 
masses are found so strongly cemented as to require the use of the drill 
and blasting powder to raise them. The best banks in this locality are 
found two miles south-east of Wayne Furnace. The ore lies in wave- 
like masses, running mostly parallel with the surface. But these 
masses sometimes approach and run into each other and then separate, 
leaving between accumulations of clay and flint. The ore has been dug 
to the depth of thirty feet with no apparent diminution of quantity. 
Outcrops of iron ore occur upon nearly every hill around the furnace, 
and these indications extend at places down to the beds of the streams. 
The gravel overlying the ore is sometimes white and water-worn, but 
generally of a pale yellowish appearance. Practical iron men con- 
sider the quantity of ore inexhaustible. It is a Brown Hematite 
or Limonite, and yields from the furnace 44 per cent. Near Clifton is 
a bed of anhydrous red oxide of iron that is very valuable. A shaft 
has been sunk in this bed to the depth of twenty- five feet without 
reaching the bottom of the ore. Much of this ore is very soft, and 
can easily be reduced to powder and used as a pigment. 

In more than a half dozen places in Lawrence county the iron de- 
posits are sufficient to run a number of furnaces of the largest capacity 
for many years. Many years ago there were several forges in opera- 
tion in that county, and the iron always commanded a better price 
than any other with blacksmiths. The ore is Limonite, and it exists 
in all its forms in different banks. In the McKey and Powell banks, 
on Shoal Creek (now owned by Chancellor Nixon), it exists in masses 
of all sizes and in layers of great thickness. The Wright bank is of 
great richness, and of a similar character, but the Wisdom bank, some 
two miles from the Wright bank, is composed of layers from an inch 
to several inches in thickness, and was called in the iron-making days 
of Lawrence, plate ore. It is of a dove color, and was so called in 
contradistinction to the lump ore. The excavations have not reached 
any great depth, but the workings have been near the surface. The 
deeper the excavations the better the stratum becomes. The Kelley, the 



136 Minerals of Tennessee. 

Warren and the Flipp's bank, as well as many others, are of the same 
variety of ore. These banks are so situated that any amount of 
timber can be obtained for coaling purposes at reasonable figures. 

In the southern part of Lewis county, near Napier Furnace, the top 
of nearly every ridge is a rich bed of Limonite iron ore that will yield 
from forty-five to fifty-five per cent, of pure iron. The ore is con- 
fined to the rolling lands. Between Allen's Creek and Brush Creek 
the richest banks are found. 

Of all the counties of the Western Iron Region none can surpass 
Hickman in the quantity and richness of its iron ore. Almost every- 
where this iron ore crops out. The tops of the ridges are filled with 
it. It lies in beds or banks and bluffs more or less associated with 
cherty masses, and will yield from the furnace about forty-four per 
cent. The old ^tna mines that were worked many years ago are the 
best yet found in the State, Competent judges assert that there is 
more iron ore in this county than in the Iron Mountain of Missouri. 
Before the war there was one furnace in operation in the county that 
made 1,500 tons annually. But for the heavy expense of hauling to 
the railroad, there would be now many in operation. Timber is abun- 
dant, the ore is rich, inexhaustible, and easy of access. It is believed 
that twenty furnaces could be run indefinitely upon the ore found in 
this county. 

Dickson county also has numerous rich ore-beds, and two furnaces 
are kept in operation. In Montgomery county some extraordinary 
beds are found. The one known as Steele's Bank, lying on Yellow 
Creek, and one mile from Sailor's Rest Station, on the Memphis Divi- 
sion of the Louisville, Nashville & Great Southern Railroad, deserves 
special mention. This bed has been penetrated to the depth of twenty- 
three feet without reaching the bottom of the ore. The ore lies in hori- 
zontal strata, eighteen inches in thickness, and the strata are separated 
from each other by a half inch of red clay, and this thin layer of clay 
constitutes the whole amount of dead matter. Captain Gracey, who 
has had charge of the workings of the banks, raised 1,500 tons, a fair 
sample of which, upon analysis, yielded 57J per cent, of pure metallic 
iron. The ore is entirely free of flint. Mr. Oltawoth, of Pitts- 
burg, expresses the opinion that the ore found at this place is the best 
that has come under his observation, with the exception of the pipe 
ore used in the manufacture of the boiler Sligo iron. Less than 
two tons of ore are required to make one ton of iron, and it needs no 
calcining before being used in the furnace. The limits of this bank 
have not been reached on any side, and from present indications the 
thick bed extends in every direction for miles, for this same character 
of ore is found cropping out on the property adjoining. In working 
the bank, a shaft eighty-five feet deep was sunk on a hill, and in the 
valley below, another thirty feet deep, both striking the solid stratum 
of ore. Hitherto the ore was thought to be confined to the hills. 
It is Limonite or Brown Hematite, and is believed to be practically 
inexhaustible. In 1854, seven furnaces were in operation in this 



Iron, 



^Z7 



county that produced annually over 8,000 tons of pig metal. This 
number has been reduced to one, the Mount Vernon Furnace which 
has a capacity of 360 tons per month. 

Stewart county has for a half century been noted for the richness 
and abundance of its iron ores. In 1854, fourteen furnaces were in 
operation in this county, making charcoal iron, besides rolling mills. 
The species of ore found is the Limonite, which occurs in va- 
rious forms, such as pipe, honey-comb, bog, compact, pot, etc. On 
Long Creek, one and a half miles from the Cumberland E.iver, a rich 
deposit of pipe iron ore has recently been found, which yields from 
the furnace about forty-nine per cent, of pig metal. The ore is dug 
and delivered at $2 per ton. The baiaks at Bear Spring Furnace, on 
Bear Spring Creek, are very rich and apparently inexhaustible. Near 
LaGrange Furnace an ore bank has been opened on Leatherwood 
Creek, two miles from the Tennessee River, which presents a face 100 
feet wide and thirty feet high. The ore is so compact that gunpowder 
is used to raise it. The richness of this bank may be inferred from 
the fact that seventeen hands only are required to supply a furnace of 
thirteen-ton capacity with ore. 

The ore in Decatur county is singularly free from flint, sand, sulphur 
and phosphorus. Near Brownsport Furnace is a bank from twelve to 
twenty feet in thickness, and resting upon a limestone bed. This bank 
is capped with a cherty mass, and there is an unusually small propor- 
tion of dead matter. Ore has been used from it for forty years. It 
would be impossible to point out all the localities in this region where 
iron ore exists. It will be sufficient to give an idea of its quantity, to 
say that ten miles back, on each side of a line drawn from Clarksville 
to Florence, Ala., would furnish wood and ore enough to run a fur- 
nace for every ten miles in length of such a line. This whole region 
is a wide field of undeveloped wealth and capable of supplying with 
material, establishments enough to supply the world with iron for a 
century. 

There were before the war, thirty-five furnaces in this belt, besides 
four bloomeries and thirteen refineries. Of the furnaces, Stewart 
county had the greatest number ; Montgomery came next ; then Dick- 
son and Decatur, each having two ; and finally Hardin, Wayne, Law- 
rence and Perry, with one each. 

There were in blast in the year 1874, eleven furnaces in this western 
iron region. The names, average production, etc., of which are given 
in the table on next page. 



138 



Minerals of Tennessee. 



NAME. 


COTXNTY. 


FUEL. 


BLAST. 


CAPACITY PR MONTH 


Brownsport Furnace 


Decatur 

Wayne 


charcoal. 


Hot 

Hot 

Cold 

Hot 

Cold 

Hot 

Cold 

Hot 

Cold 

Hot 

Hot 


540 tons pig 
540 tons pig 
270 tons pig 
360 tons pig 
240 tons pig 
360 tons pig 
300 tons pig 
300 tons pig 
360 tons pig 
510 tons pig 
450 tons pig 


Wayne Furnace 


Napier's Furnace 


Lewis 




Dickson 

Dickson 

Montgomery.. 

Stewart 

Stewart 


W^orley Furn ace 




Dover Furnace 


Rough-and-Eeady Furnace 

Bear Spring Furnace 


Stewart 


Clark Furnace 


Stewart 


LaGrano'e Furnace 


Stewart 







Aggregating monthly 4^230 tons. 

The excellence of the iron is unsurpassed. One of the most signifi- 
cant facts in connection with its use, is that though there have been 
many causalties by the explosion of boilers on the southern and wes- 
tern waters, yet no boiler made of Tennessee cold bast charcoal iron 
has ever exploded. It may also be mentioned that prior to 1825, all 
the sugar kettles used in Tennesssee, were made in Scotland. The im- 
pression was that Scotch iron alone could withstand the expansion and 
contraction to which sugar kettles are so frequently subjected during 
the boiling season. This error was dispelled by the Messrs. Stacker, 
who supplied the sugar planters with kettles, not only equal to the 
Scottish kettle, but so superior to it, as to drive the latter from the 
market. The Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, as early as 1832, 
after a comparison and test of the Tennessee iron, pronounced it 
equal to the Swedish iron in ductility, toughness and strength. 

Now, as to the cost of working this charcoal iron, there is a great 
diversity of opinion, even among those engaged in its manufacture. 
We have taken special pains to collect facts bearing upon this subject. 
The books of the superintendents and the settlements made by them 
with the owners, have been taken as the highest evidence, simply be- 
cause it would be highly improbable for a superintendent to tail to 
charge his company with all the expenses incurred in running the fur- 
nace. 

The following is a bona J^de transcript from the books of a company 
that is extensively engaged in the manufacture of this metal. It is for 
the year 1871 — the furnace not running through the whole period of 
1872 or 1873 : 



Opei'atioTis 



Furnace for the Year 1871. 



Number cords of wood chopped 16,176 

Bushels of charcoal used 643,400 

Number tons of iron made 4,110 

Number of days blowing 296 

Average tons per day for 296 days 13 6-7 

Number tons of ore received 10,905 

Average cost of ore per ton $2.00 

Number tons of ore to ton of pig-iron 2J 



Iron. 139 

Number bushels of coal used '. 639,400 

Number bushels of coal to ton of pig-iron ISSJ 

Average cost of coal per bushel / 7|c 

Number pounds of limestone to ton of pig-iron 612 

Cost of limestone to ton 50c 

Whole amount of daily labor and salaries for the year $26,469.49 

Average dost of ton of pig-iron for labor and salaries 6.44 

Extra per ton for hearths, sand, interest, etc 1.33 

From this statement it is easy to sum up the cost of a ton of pig- 
iron, thus : 

155 bushels of coal, at 7| cents $12 04 

2J tons of ore, at $2... 4 66 

Labor*and salary 6 44 

Lime 50 

Incidentals, interest, etc 1 33 

Cost of ton charcoal [hot-blast] iron $24 97 

Substantially the same cost appears on the books for 1872 and 1873. 

At Napier's furnace in 1873, the cost of making iron according to 
the superintendent's books, was twenty-four dollars per ton, but it 
was thought that this could be considerably reduced by having full 
stocks and running a ten months blast. Wood-choppers were paid 
from sixty to seventy-five cents per cord, and day laborers one-dollar 
and fifty cents per day, the laborers themselves supplying their own 
rations. The furnace is cold-blast and uses about 200 bushels of char- 
coal to the ton of pig metal. Seven dollars a ton was paid for wag- 
oning it to Columbia, the nearest railroad station, a disljince of thirty- 
three miles. The iron made was choice car wheel. 

At Wayne furnace, which uses hot-blast, 150 bushels of charcoal, at 
six cents per bushel, are used for making a ton of iron. The cost of 
green ore delivered, is two dollars per ton ; lime-stone, fifty cents ;. 
labor, salaries, repairs, etc., bring the cost up to twenty-one dollars 
and ninety-seven cents per ton. It costs four dollars to haul iron to 
Clifton on the Tennessee river, and three dollars and sixty-two cents 
from that point to Cincinnati, making the entire cost in the latter 
place twenty-nine dollars and fifty-nine cents. The labor is paid in 
goods, upon which fifty per cent, is realized. 

Brownsport furnace, hot blast, in Decatur county, has a daily 
capacity of twenty tons. The ore is dug within one hundred yards 
of the trundle head. For making a ton of iron 120 bushels of char- 
coal are used (2,688 cubic inches to the bushel). Coal costs seven and 
a half cents per bushel delivered. Ore delivered, costs two dollars 
per ton. About two and a quarter tons of ore make a ton of iron. 
The hauling of the pig iron to the river costs one dollar and twenty- 
five cents per ton. Limestone is delivered at one dollar per ton. 

In Stewart county, charcoal costs from seven to eight cents per bush- 
el ; ore delivered, from two to two dollars and fifty cents per ton ; 
amount of charcoal used for hot-l)last, from 140 to 150 bushels; for 
cold-blast, 170 bushels. Labor is cheap, most of the work is done by 
the job or task. The ores yield from the furnace, from forty to fifty- 
five per cent. 



140 Minerals of Tennessee. 

The details, as given from a cold-blast charcoal furnace, in this 
-county, for 1873, are : 

• 170 bushels charcoal at 8 cents $13 6,0 

2 tons ore, at $2.50 5 00 

Labor and salary...... 6 44 

Lime 50 

Incidentals 1 38 * 



Cost of ton charcoal [cold-blast] $26 87 

The following analysis made by J. Blodgett Britton, of Philadel- 
phia, will show the general character and richness of the ores of this 
•county : 

Water 9.10 

Insoluble Silica , 1.40 

Pure iron Sesqui-oxide 52.97 

Oxygen with iron , 23.41 

Alumina 1.36 

Lime 40 

Sulphur 03 

Phosphorus 06 

99.34 

Double Furnace Assay yielded 56.10 in reduced metal or cast iron. 
The reduction was complete, buttons flattened under the hammer, frac- 
ture ragged, color dark gray, rather close grained ; iron soft, but tough, 
not natural. 

If the number of days in the year in which the furnace is idle should 
be deducted, it would reduce the price of iron twenty per cent, per ton 
on the items of salaries and labor. The estimate is further reduced by 
the profits from goods supplied to hands. About three-fourths of the 
labor employed is paid in goods, upon which a profit of thirty-five to 
£fty per cent, is realized. 

ADVANTAGES OF TENNESSEE FOE MAKING IRON. 

1. Cheapness of Ore. As compared with Hanging Rock, Ohio, 
^nd other points north of the Ohio river, it is striking, as the follow- 
ing figures will show. They are made for the year 1871 : 

Cost of ore to ton of pig-iron in the Western Iron Belt $4 66 

Cost of ore in the Dyestone Belt 2 00 

Cost of ore at Hanging Rock, Ohio 7 50 

«Costof ore at Pittsburg 12 67 

2. Cheapness of Fuel. In the Western Iron Belt charcoal costs 
per bushel 7| cents ; at Hanging Rock, 10 cents — making a difference 
in cost of ton iron of $3.50. Coke is one-third cheaper in Pittsburg 
than in Tennessee, but there is no reason why it may not become as 
cheap or cheaper in Tennessee than in Pennsylvania. 

3. Days of Blowing. This is very marked, when the averages of 
the furnaces in the Western Iron Belt and those at Hanging Rock are 

«NoTE. In 1873 the cost of ore at Pittsburg was $13.30, but was reduced in 1874 to 

about $8.00 



Iron. 



141. 



constrasted. Timber is so scarce in Ohio itat it is difficult to lay in a 
sufficient stock of charcoal to get a blast to exceed 2^500 or 3,000 tons. 
In the Western Iron Eeg.ion the timber is abundant and convenient^ 
as also in the Eastern Iron Belt. 

4. Taxes on property are lower. In Tennessee, the amount paid for 
taxes on a furnace that will make 5,000 tons annually, is known to be 
$450. In Ohio, a furnace A^ith the same capacity pays $1,220 taxes. 

DISADVANTAGES OF TENNESSEE. 

1. Want of Transportation. This, in all the iron regions of the 
State, except those portions contiguous to the Tennessee and Cumber- 
land rivers, is a great drawback to the iron interests. It takes seven 
dollars per ton to transport the pig iron from Napier's Furnace to the 
railroad, four dollars per ton to get it to Tennessee river from Wayne 
Furnace, and from two to three dollars from other furnaces not con- 
venient to railroads or navigable rivers. 

2. Difference in price of labor. Labor is twenty-five per cent, 
higher in Tennessee, and not so efficient, but it' is generally paid for in 
goods, upon which a large profit is realized. 

3. Want of a home market. This makes additional transportation 
necessary. 

With all these drawbacks, Tennessee can still make charcoal iron 
from six to seven dollars cheaper than it can be made in Ohio, Indi- 
ana or Pennsylvania, and stone-coal iron from foar to five dollars less 
cost per ton. If coke were as cheap it could be made from ten to 
twelve dollars less. 

The subjoined tables will show the cost of making iron in Pennsyl- 
vania, for the years 1850 to 1873 inclusive. The first table gives the 
cost of iron (stone-coal, hot blast,) on the furnace bank per ton of 
2,240 pounds, as follows : 



TEAES. 


PEICE PER 
TON. 


YEAES. 


BBICE PEB 
TON. 


YEAES. 


PEICE PER 

TON. 


1850 


$14 25 

13 30 

14 34 
14 38 

16 00 

18 87 
18 05 

17 04 


1858 


$17 73 

16 14 
16 85 
16 61 
16 11 
16 53 
20 97 
32 21 


1866 


$27 88 
27 88 


1851 


1859 


1867..., 

1868 


1852 


1860 


26 00 


1853 


1861 


1869 


26 83 


1854 


,1862 


1870 

1871 


30 04 


1855 


1863 


29 65 


1856 


1864..... 


1872 


30 58 


1857 


1865 


1873 


32 33 











The second embraces the several items of which these sums are made 
up, and the progressive increase in the price of each. , We give these 
sub several periods, before and after the war : 



142 



Minerals of Tennessee. 



COST OF 


1850 


1855 


1860 


1864 


1866 


1869 


1871 


1873 


Ore 


$ 5 75 

3 70 

93 

2 22 

1 68 


$ 7 51 
4 63 

1 26 

2 85 
2 62 


$ 7 45 
3 49 
1 21 

1 87 

2 83 


$ 9 12 
5 41 

1 93 

2 85 
1 66 


$12 19 
7 55 

2 65 

3 46 
2 03 


$11 86 
7 41 

2 14 

3 46 
1 96 


$12 67 

8 69 

■ 2 08 

3 54 

2 77 


$13 30 


Coal 


7 15 




1 97 




3 79 




2 76 







It may be well here to point out the danger which threatens our 
western iron fields by the inattention or neglect of our law-makers. 
The timber supply, while abundant at present, is consumed at the 
rate of 6,000 acres annually. In the neighborhood of old fur- 
naces it has been cut down for a distance of three or four miles, and 
used in the making of charcoal. Sprouts put up every year, but the 
annual fires which sweep over the old "coaling" with devasting fury 
destroy them. No new. timber is taking the place of the old. Barren, 
sightless old fields, covered with broom-sedge, meet the eye on every 
hand. How to protect the young timber in the iron region is a ques- 
tion that should seriously engage the attention of our Legislature, for 
it will not be a question of iron ore in the future, but of timber. A 
due regard for the rights of posterity, if not for the present occupants 
of this i^egion, should be manifested in the enactment of stringent 
laws against all persons guilty of wantonly setting the leaves on fire. 
Were the young timber protected, it would grow as fast as consumed. 
Estimating that 500 acres are used annually by each furnace with a 
capacity of twelve tons daily, twenty-five square miles, or 16,000 aeres 
would support a furnace perpetually, on the supposition that the trees 
will grow in thirty years large enough to be used for coal. In some 
situations that have been protected by roads and streams from fires, 
the timber on the land has been cut down a second time after the lapse 
of twenty-five years from the first cutting. It is a crime against the 
material interest-s of the State, and destructive of one of the finest iron 
regions in America, to permit the custom of firing the woods to con- 
tinue. It is a relic of barbarism inherited from savages, and should 
be stopped by the infliction of pains and penalties. 

In the preparation of this article on iron much assistance has been 
derived directly from the State Geologist, Dr. SaiFord, under whose 
eye the proof-sheets have passed, and all the details collected, sub- 
mitted and criticised. Nothing has been admitted but what we have 
abundant evidence to believe to be true. 

Our aim and desire have been to tell the simple truth in relation to 
our coal, timber, and iron ore, and not to mislead or deceive any one, 
believing in the end that such deception would prove the very worst 
possible policy. We do not hesitate to say, after a thorough examina- 
- tion of all the facts, and after a candid comparison of these withthe facts 
obtained from other localities, that no portion of America seems to 
present greater advantages for the manufacture of ali grades of iron 



Copper. 143 

than Tennessee. When new avenues of trade shall have been opened 
to her; when her population shall have been multiplied, and her home 
markets increased; when the spirit of energy, thrift, and enterprise 
fihall have seized her people, Tennessee will become one of the great 
centers of iron manufacture of the western world, and will dispense to 
the nations of the earth the product which is alike the emblem and 
promoter of a benign and splendid civilization. 



COPPEE. 

The copper region of Tennessee lies in Polk county, in the south- 
east corner of the State. It is in an elevated mountain basin, not less 
than 2,000 feet above the sea, and 1,000 feet above the great Valley 
of East Tennessee. This basin contains about forty square miles. On 
the south-west, at a distance of a few miles, looms up the the dome- 
like crest of Frog Mountain, and from this, trending north-easterly, is 
one of the ranges of the Unakas. Towards the east and south-east 
are the towering peaks of the North Carolina chain, while southward 
running into Georgia, the scenery is more subdued. The surface of 
this valley is made up of hills and ridges, with gneissoid rocks and 
metamorphic slates showing themselves here and there, the area pre- 
senting a wild and rugged character. To add to this wildness, the 
country is denuded of timber, much of it having been consumed in 
the making of charcoal, and large quantities have been destroyed by 
the fumes from the smelting furnaces, which, charged with sulphurous 
acid, wither and deaden all vegetation by their poisonous contact. 

Through the southern part of the mining district flows the Ocoee 
River, which, rising among the ridges of Georgia, takes a north- 
westerly course gently and quietly through the copper valley, as if 
gathering its force for the fearful plunges through the deep gorges and 
narrow ravines of the Unaka Range. For twelve or fifteen miles 
after passing the copper valley, the confined stream, fretted with huge 
masses of stone, is white with roaring cascades and plaited currents 
while, rising almost perpendicularly above, are frowning and winding 
cliffs, walling in the river, and forming altogether one of the wildest 
and one of the most romantic scenes in the south. Along this stream 
and near the water's edge, a wagon road has been cut out of the cliffs 
and forms the only means of transportation from the mines to the rail- 
road. 

The copper valley is intersected by numerous small tributaries of 
the Ocoee, which cut deep ravines, between which are the rounded 
gneissoid hills before referred to. The strata dip at high angles to the 
south-east, and their outcrops have a north-easterly and south-westerly 



144 Minerals of Tennessee, 

direction. The ore deposits are in lenticular masses or belts, lying in 
the valley, these belts being separated by intervening rocks. Though 
the walls of the ore are often not well defined, the ore blending and 
gradually disappearing with the containing rocks, the veins or belts of 
ore are plainly marked. The deposits are in three belts. From the 
outcrop downwards, four distinct zones or stories are passed through. 
These several zones are thus described in a report made by the Union 
Consolidated Company, in 1866: 

"1. Upper part of the 'vein,' consisting of ^gossan,' i. e. sandy, 
porous, massive, or reniform ore, mixed with streaks of reddish-brown 
slate. In this zone, and especially in its lower portion, occur malachite, 
azurite, cuprite, in grains, masses, and threads, and native copper in 
foliated and dendritic forms. Cuprite (the red oxyd of copper), and 
the so-called black oxyd, become more and more abundant, and gradu- 
ally form 

"2. The second zojie, the transition to which occupies, generally, 
not more than ten feet on the dip of the vein. This may be called 
the zone of the black oopper ores. It branches upward, somewhat 
into the gossan. It varies in depth from two to eight feet, and appears 
to follow with its upper limit the contour of the surface above. In it 
are found layers, nodules, and pockets of cuprite, and granular admix- 
tures of iron and copper pyrites. This division is abruptly cut ofP be- 
low by 

" 3. The third zone — that of iron pyrites and pyrrhotite (magnetic 
pyrites), containing but little disseminated copper pyrites, and, on the 
other hand, a large proportion of tremolite and actinolite of radial, 
fibrous structure, and wine-yellow to brown color. The disseminated 
copper pyrites grows more abundant in depth until it forms 

" 4. The fourth zone — that of copper pyrites. In the center of the 
deposit this mineral is almost pure and solid, containing some thirty 
per cent, of copper. Towards the walls, where it is mixed with pyr- 
rhotite, iron pyrites, tremolite, and actinolite, the average contents of 
copper in the whole mass is 8-10 per cent." 

The third and fourth zones above are hardly distinguishable,, and 
may be thrown together. 

The " gossan " spoken of is limonite iron ore, which caps the tolp 
of all the veins, but owing to its admixture with foreign ingredients, it 
makes a "red short" iron, almost or nearly worthless. 

For a great while, the mining operations were confined to the black 
and red copper ores, but subsequently the yellow copper ores, of which 
the region is capable of furnishing large quantities, were smelted with 
satisfactory profits. The lodes of this ore vary greatly in richness, 
some of the ore containing six per cent, of copper, but much of it not 
more than two or three per cent. The low grade ores are crushed be- 
fore smelting, and by a somewhat complicated chemical process the pure 
copper extracted. 

There are now operating at Ducktown two large companies. The 
Union Consolidated Company, of Tennessee, and the Burra Burra 



Copper. 145 

Copper company. The Union Consolidated Company has the follow 
ing mining properties : 

The East Tennessee : 480 acres. 

" Mary's 160 " 

« Isabella 240 " 

" Callaway > 320 " 

'• Maria 80 " 

" McCoy 140 " 

" Buena Vista 240 " 

" Johnson 315 " 

• " Beaver 40 " 

" Cherokee..... 320 " 

« Ocoee 240 " 

Total comprised in the original consolidation 2,565 " 

Since acquired, mainly for timber 2,676 " 

Making a total of 5,251 " 

It employs in its operations two steam engines of eighty horse- 
power and four water wheels of sixty-nine horse-power. It has 
sixteen furnaces, and employs 562 men and eighty children and 
youths. The amount of wages paid is $200,000 annually. It con- 
sumed in its operations for 1872, 16,298 cords of wood, costing $48,- 
894. The production of ingot copper for the same year was 1,466,847 
pounds, worth $308,038. The ores are mined from the company's own 
lands. 

The Burra Burra Company has two steam engines, of eighty horse 
power, and one waterwheel, of four horse-power. It ran nine furnaces 
in 1872, and employed one hundred and fifty-eight men and eight chil- 
dren, paying out for wages $60,000. It also consumed 10,192 cords 
of wood, costing $30,576, and produced, of ingot copper, 917,329 
pounds, valued at $192,639. The ore is obtained from the lands owned 
by the company. The whole amount of copper made in the copper re- 
gion is wagoned to Cleveland, a distance of forty miles, and shipped 
by the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. The effect of 
the working of these mines upon the wealth of the county has been 
very great. In 1849 the total gross tax collected in the county, was 
$513.45, and the land was valued at $266,607. Ten years thereafter, 
in 1859, the county paid a tax of $4,539.67, and. the land was valued 
at $2,240,420. In 1869, the revenue from that county amounted to 
$8,874.28. No j)art of the Sfeate shows a greater industrial activity 
than the- neighborhood of Ducktown. The farmers have a ready mar- 
ket at home for all their supplies, at good prices, and a manifest im- 
provement has taken place in the social and domestic life of the in 
habitants. Churches and schools prevail, and educational advantageis 
are highly appreciated anA sought after. 



10 



1,46 Minerals of Tennessee, 

MARBLE. 

I 

The marble of Tennessee has gained, by its beautifully variegated 
appearance and fine polishing qualities, a richly deserved fame through- 
out the United States. There are found in the State several varieties, 
among which may be mentioned the black, grey, magnesian, fawn- 
colored, red variegated, conglomerate, and breccia. One or more of 
these varieties are met with in every division of the State. By marble, 
is meant any limestone that takes a good polish, and looks well after 
it is polished. 

The black marble, sometimes beautifully streaked with veins of 
white calcite, is found in Washington, Greene, McMinn, Polk, Sevier, 
and, indeed, in many of the counties in East Tennessee, where the 
limestone has been fissured in local flexures. It is quite compact, hav- 
ing a great specific gravity, and takes a fine polish. This marble was 
used to form the bases of the columns in the senate chamber of the 
capitol at Nashville. That, with white articulated veins, w^ould make 
handsome mantles. 

The gray and red variegated marbles occur in inexhaustible quan- 
tities in several counties of East Tennessee. The two are usually asso- 
ciated, the bne running into the other. The counties, however, 
which have furnished the largest supplies, are Knox and Hawkins. 
The gray, which is coralline, sparry, whitish, and often variegated with 
pink or reddish spots, rests usually upon a blue limestone. It weighs 
180 pounds to the cubic foot, and is freer from " dries," or porous sponge- 
like cavities, or unconsolidated material, than that of deeper color. A 
quarry was opened in 1871, and is now worked, at the confluence 
of the French Broad and Holston rivers. This marble spreads over 
an area of many square miles, and is several hundred feet thick. It 
forms the building stone of the custom house in Knoxville, and the 
quality of it is justly regarded as among the finest in the State. A 
polished slab shines with glowing brilliancy, and the small pinkish. 
spots that are sprinkled over its surface, give it a delicacy and richness 
of tint that is surpassingly beautiful. Unpolished, the pink spots do 
not appear As employed in the custom house in "drove" work, it 
has a grayish white appearance, and is mistaken by many for the ordi- 
nary light-colored uncrystallized limestone. 

No gunpowder is used in the quarry. The blocks are all separated 
.by the use of the drill and forcing wedges. Thirty men are regularly 
employed at this place, and the force will be increased as the excellence 
of the marble becomes known. Already has a demand been created in 
St. Louis for it, and blocks are sold in that market at from three to six 
dollars per cubic foot, for mantles, moldings, <fec. 

Since the completion of the stone work of the custom house, a com- 
pany has been organized with a sufficient capital to carry on the busi- 
ness successfully. The stone is sawed into slabs a.t the quarry by 
fiteam, and transported in flatboats, a distance of four miles to fenox- 
ville, where it is shipped by railroad to various points. There are about 



Marble. I47 

•eighty saws kept constantly at work. Two engines are employed; one 
for sawing, and the other for derrick work. Boats are brought up 
within ten feet of the saws, and very little labor is required to transfer 
the slabs from the one to the other. The following are the prices at 
which the. slabs are sold, delivered on the cars at Knoxville : 

I inch slabs, fuperficial,...., $ 38 per foot. 

1 inch slabs, superficial, 42 

1]- inch slabs, superficial, 53 

l| inch slabs, superficial, 64 

2 inch slabs, suiserficial, •• 82 

3 inch slabs, superficial, .^ 1 10 

4 inch slabs, superficial, , 1 45 

5 inch slabs, superficial, 1 80 

' 6 . inch slabs, superficial, 2 15 

7 inch slabs, superficial, , .■• 2 50 

8 inch slabs, superficial, 2 85 

The above cut to size, ten per cent/ added. 

Eough blocks, 20 cubic feet and under, $3 00 per foot 

Eough blocks, from 20 to 40 cubic feet, 3 50 " 

Eough blocks, from 40 to 60 cubic feet, 4 00 " 

Eough blocks, from 60 to 80 cubic feet, 5 00 " 

Eough blocks, from 80 to 100 cubic feet, 6 00 '^'^ 

Monuments block sawed to size 6 50 

All spires measured at base. 

Marble-taken from the quarries around Knoxville, and worked into 
tombstones, show no signs of crumbling after exposure to the weathei 
for fifty years. 

A large quarry has been opened on the farm of Rolfe S. Saunders, 
seven miles north-east of Knoxville, on the banks of the Holston 
River, and near the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. 
Mention of this quarry was made by Judge Haywood, in his History 
of Tennessee. It forms a perpendicular bluflP over one hundred feet 
above the water's edge, several hundred yards in width and many miles 
in length. A few miles west, the same varieties appear on the farm of 
Horace Foster. 

Col. John Williams, near the city of Knoxville, has a valuable 
quarry of this same gray variety. The bed at this point is 380 feet in 
thickness, and divided into three distinct layers. Commencing at the 
bottom and ascending, there is 

1. Variegated with grey and red, with a slight flesh-colored 

appearance ■•• 55 feet. 

2. Grayish white, slightly tinted, though not perceptible in 

an unpolished state 95 feet. 

3. Eedder, especially near the surface 230 feet. 

The second portion of this section furnishes the most valuable mar- 
ble. It is said to have no superior in the State as a building stone. 

Two miles north of Knoxville, and near the East Tennessee and 
Virginia Railroad, is the quarry from which most of the marble used in 
"the State capitol, at Nashville, was taken. It is known as Sloan's 
Quarry. This marble is rnore highly variegated than that taken from 
the quarry at the mouth of the French Broad. It has a deeper red, 
and is of such rare and exquisite beauty as to, arrest the attention of 



148 Minerals of Tennessee. 

the most unobservant. It was used in the State capitol of Ohio for 
ornamental work. The quarry was opened in 1852, and this, with the- 
one in Hawkins county, has given character to that peculiar species of 
marble known as East Tennessee marble. 

A short distance east of Athens, in McMinn county, is a fine bed of 
grayish marble. It bears a high polish, and is gretaly esteemed for its 
beauty. 

But the Hawkins County Marble is the best known, both on ac- 
count of the length of time it has been worked, and because it was in 
that county that the general Government opened a quarry for the 
ornamentation of the capitol at Washington. This marble is highly 
variegated, and differs from that taken from Sloan^s Quarry, only in 
being more delicately shaded, and not being of such a deep reddish 
tint. The history of the opening and working of the marble quarries 
in Hawkins county is thus detailed by Dr. Saffbrd in his Geological 
report : 

"In April, 1838, the ' Rogersville Marble Company' was formed, by 
gentlemen in and near Rogersville, for the purpose of ' sawing marble,, 
and establishing a marble factory in the vicinity of Rogersville.' 
Orville Rice, Esq., was elected President, and S. D. Mitchell, Secre- 
tary. The company operated to a limited extent for several years, 
erected a mill, and sold several thousand dollars' worth of marble an- 
nually, which was mostly distributed in Tennessee. 

" In 1844 the company sold out to Mr. Rice, who, on a moderate 
scale, has perseveringly and successfully carried on the business ever 
since. 

"Mr. Rice sent a block of the 'light mottled strawberry variety' to 
the Washington monument. This was called the ' Hawkins County 
BIogJc/ and bears the inscription, 'From Hawkins County, Tennessee.' 
Another block of one of the best varieties, was sent by act of the 
Legislature, which was called the ' State Block.' 

" These blocks attracted the attention of the building committee of 
the national capitol, who, although they had numerous specimens from 
all parts of the Union before them, decided in favor of the East Ten- 
nessee marble. 

" An agent was soon after sent by them to ascertain whether or not 
it could be obtained in quantity, who, when on the ground, had no 
difficulty in satisfying himself as to that point. 

" As the result of these circumstances, an extensive quarry, affording 
an excellent material, was opened at a point about nine miles south- 
west of Rogersville, where the Holston River intersects the marble 
range. The rock here is, in good part, massive, and several hundred 
feet in width. The location of the quarry is excellent, and admits of 
the easy transportation of the blocks to the boats. Many thousand 
cubic feet of marble were sent off*. It was taken down the river, and 
then by railroad to Charleston or Savannah, where it was shipped for 
Washington. 

" A good use has been made of this marble in the capitol at Wash- 



Marble. 



149 



ington. The balustrades and columns of the stairs leading up to the 
House and Senate galleries, the walls of the Marble Room, and other 
parts of the building, are of Tennessee marble. It doubtless forms 
half the ornamental marble there." 

This marble is also used in the money-room of the treasury building 
in Washington, and it shows its superior beauty when contrasted, as it 
is, with the marbles from other States. 

The marble in Hawkins county lies west and south-west of Rogers- 
ville. It is found on the south-west side of a bench of Trenton and 
Nashville limestones, and runs for a distance of sixteen or seventeen 
miles. In thickness, it varies from fifty to several hundred feet. The 
quarry which the Government opened lies on the Holston River, near 
the south-west end of this belt. 

There are quarries of this same marble near Loudon, in London 
county, and also near Sweetwater. 

The variegated red marble is also found in many of the counties 
west of the Cumberland Table-land. One, of a brownish red, is met 
with on the waters of Elk River, in Franklin county, in considerable 
quantities ; the gray is also found in the same county ; both have been 
worked to some extent. A gray marble, crinoidal in structure and 
dotted with red, also occurs in Maury county, at the Oil Spring on 
Lieper's Creek. Some of the marble at this place has a ground work 
of gray, with fleecy clouds of red and green. It is susceptible of a 
high polish, and would make handsome mantles, table tops, and pannel 
work. The bed is ten feet in thickness, and extends for a considerable 
distance. 

An extensive bed, occurs on Elk River, and some of the tributaries 
of Elk in Lincoln county, specimens of which exhibit all the charac- 
teristic beauty of the red variegated East Tennessee marble. Quarries 
in that county are now worked to some extent. 

In Henry county, a mile or two from Mammoth Springs, on Big 
Sandy, and four miles from Springville Station, on the Memphis and 
Louisville Railroad, is a bed of red marble, mottled, and susceptible of 
a very high polish. It is similar in character to the East Tennessee 
marble, and has been used for monuments, tombstones, etc. It is a 
handsome variety and greatly admired. 

On Birdsong Creek, in Benton county, there is also marble of sim- 
ilar character. It is inexhaustible in quantity, and has been quarried 
to a considerable extent. These beds in Henry and Benton counties 
are best known as supplying material for lime, they being the last out- 
crops of limestone in the State going west. 

In the Western Valley of the Tennessee, there are also other beds 
of red marble. The finest presentation is probably in the counties of 
Perry, Decatur, AVayne and Hardin. 'Much of it lies immediately 
upon the Tennessee River. Near Clifton is an extensive bed. The 
piers of the bridge at Danville, where the Memphis, Louisville and 
Great Southern Railroad crosses the Tennessee River, are built of 
;grayish marble from Decatur county, found ten miles below Perryville, 



150 Minerals of Tennessee. 

The thickness of the stratum is ten feet ; it is inferior in beauty and' 
fineness, but not in solidity, to the Hawkins county marble. 

On Shoal Creek, in Lawrence county, eighteen miles south of liaw- 
renceburg, and extending on both sides of the creek for a distance of 
fifteen miles, is a bed forty feet in thickness, of fawn-colored or brown- 
ish red marble, with fleecy clouds of green. It bears a very fine polish, 
and is beautiful in the delicateness and softness of its coloring. Other 
strata, in the same locality, are of an intermingling red, green and white 
colors. Some of it, with a brownish ground, is covered with deep red 
spots, which shade away until the ruddiness is lost in the common ground. 
It is free from " dries," very solid and compact, and is pronounced by 
competent judges to be as valuable as any in the State. But for lack 
of railroad conveniences, it would soon attract the attention which its 
delicate beauty would wmrant. Farmers build chimneys of it, and a 
furnace-stack built in 1833, by Mr. Vanleer, of the same material, is 
still standing in an undamaged condition. 

A short distance below Manchester, a bluish or dove-colored marble 
appears in considerable abundance, forming the bed of Bark Camp 
Fork of Duck River. The late Dr. Troost expressed a high admira- 
tion for its subdued beauty and its fine quality. In Wilson, Davidson 
and other counties, a dove-colored marble is met with, which is worked 
up into grave-stones and for other purposes. 

In Rutherford county, a bed of marble occurs of a pale yellowish 
color, with serpentine veins of red and dots of black. This bed has 
not been traced, and specimens have only been polished for paper 
weights and objects of curiosity. It bears a fine polish, but is not so 
handsome as some other varieties. 

There is also in the southern part of the East Tennessee Valley, 
and especially in that portion east of the Holston, a light gray, fine- 
grained rock, variegated with brownish red clouds, which is worked as 
a marble, though its appearance is greatly inferior to those mentioned 
above. It is known as magnesian marble. Some of it does not 
weather well, being reduced by exposure to shaly material. Some of 
the best occurs near Chattanooga. 

The Breccia limestones on the Little Tennessee River, south of 
Chilhowee Mountain, sometimes supply a beautiful marble. The an- 
gular fragments, which make up the rock, are often of different colors, 
and when polished present a surface of checkered and varied beauty, 
resembling mosaic work. This marble occurs in Greene, Cocke and 
Sevier. It is not much worked on account of the hardness of some of 
the angular fragments. 

The conglomerate marble, differing from the last only in the shape 
or configuration of the imbedded gravel, being in this rounded and 
not angular, is found in the same region. It has the same style of 
beauty when polished, as that last mentioned. 

Doubtless there are many other places in -svhich marble has been 
found, but the great abundance of it in every part of the State makes 



Marble. iS^ 

it an object of but little interest, unless it has some superiority in the 
elegance or beauty of its appearance. 

Roofing Slates.— There are, in what is known as the Ocoee group, 
strata of pale, greenish slate, semi-talcose, and free from pyrites. This 
slate splits easily into thin plates with smooth surfaces, and though 
never having been used for such, would doubtless be valuable for roof- 
inc^ purposes. It is met with in Polk, McMinn, Monroe, Sevier, 
Blount and Cocke counties. Slates of various shades might be quarried 
in different localities in these counties— light and dark green, dark 
purple, reddish and violet. 

Millstone Grit. — Several beds of Millstone grit have been found 
in the State. Perhaps the most noteworthy is that in Claiborne county, 
at Big Spring, on the road leading from Morristown to Tazewell. The 
rock is a flinty mass, filled with cellular cavities. The manufacture of 
millstones at this point was carried on as a business before the war, and 
the demand for them increased as their excellence became known. 
Many millters regarded them as equal in every particular to the French 
buhr. The hard gnessoid rock near Taylorsville, in Johnson county, 
has been used for millstones. Those made of this rock are inferior to 
the last mentioned, and are unsuited for the grinding of wheat, though 
they answer tolerably well for corn. The syenetic granite in Carter 
county is more highly esteemed for grinding both wheat and corn. 
The conglomerates of the Coal Measures, made up of hard, flinty 
material, honey-combed in structure, have frequently been wrought 
into millstones. In Trousdale county, a few miles north of Hartsville, 
is a stratum of silicified shells several feet in thickness, that has been 
used for the same purpose. This mass, when exposed to the disinte- 
grating influences of the weather, is leached of its calcareous matter, 
leaving it filled with innumerable small cavities. It was formerly ex- 
tensively manufactured into millstones. Some of them have been used 
for forty years and are still preferred to new ones for the grinding of 
corn. This quarry belongs to the upper. part of the Nashville forma- 
tion, is quite extensive, and might be made very valuable if worked. 
Near Manchester, in Coffee county, a conglomerate is met with that 
answers a very good purpose for millstones. Some of it has all the 
characteristics of the true buhrstone, being hard, gritty, and consisting 
of siliceous pebbles that have been cemented into a flinty mass. 
Wherever exposed, it has a cellular structure. The same stone appears 
in Lewis, Macon and other counties, and indeed in many localities in 
the sub-carboniferous formations. 

Hydraulic Eocks. These rocks abound in many counties in the 
State, and more especially in Hardin, Wayne, Perry, Decatur, Warren, 
and Montgomery, and in many of the counties of East Tennessee, es- 
pecially in Knox and McMinn. Mills for grinding the stone after , 
burning were in operation in Hardin, Montgomery, Warren and Knox 
before the war. The qua]i% of the cement is excellent. Arrange- 
ments for manufacturing it on an extensive scale in Hardin county. 



152 Minerals of Tennessee. 

above Clifton, had been perfected before the war, and the cement bore 
well all the tests to which it was subjected. 

Dr. Saiford says of it : 

" The cement manufactured is of lighter color than the Louisville 
article, and of good quality. In 1861, Mr. Pillow sent me a barrel, 
of that first manufactured, for trial. The barrel was put away in my 
cellar, and, owing to the troubles which soon came upon us, was left 
there without being opened. In the meantime, during a very rainy 
season, water rose in the cellar, and the cement got thoroughly wet, 
It soon hardened, the hoops and staves fell away, and the cement was 
left in a solid cylindrical mass — a good cast of the barrel which held 
it. I have also seen, in the Tennessee river, barrel-shaped masses of 
the hardened cement, from lots originally lost by the sinking of steam- 
boats." 

Mr. Saulpaw, a practical mason, who has taken many large con- 
tracts for the building of bridge piers, says it is the best cement in the 
United States. 

In Knox county, cement is made of the brown calcareous shale, which 
is found to be a good material for this purpose. The value of this 
shale for the making of cement was first discovered by Mr. Estabrook, 
a man of sagacity, energy and public spirit. 

The quantity of material in the State from which hydraulic cement 
may be made, and its accessibility to market, together with the con- 
stant and increasing demand for this article, will doubtless attract at- 
tention to this unoccupied field of industry. Tennessee could supply 
the whole southern market with cement at cheaper rates than any 
other state. It speaks badly for the enterprise of its citizens, that 
while thousands of barrels are every year used in building cisterns, and 
in underground stone or brick work, nine-tenths of it should be 
brought from neighboring states, although the material in the State 
suitable for its manufacture is inexhaustible in quantity, superior in 
quality, and accessible to market. 

Building Stone othee than Maeble. In every portion of the 
State, except in the Teritary and Quarternary formations of West Ten- 
nessee, building stone is convenient and plentiful ; though differing 
widely in its weathering capacity, color and structure, every neighbor- 
hood, and oftentimes every farm, has its quarry. The rock most used 
for building purposes is limestone, on account of its prevalence, com- 
pactness and good workable qualities, though the marbles, sandstones 
and granites are brought into requisition for the same purposes, where 
they are abundant and convenient. 

The limestones differ greatly in their color and durability. Some 
strata are laminated, others compact; some are oolitic, consisting of 
minute concretionary spherules, resembling the roe of fish, others 
granular and crystalline. Many of them make valuable building ma- 
terial, while others crumble down or exfoliate by exposure. Some 
have impurities, as magnesia, sand, clay; others are almost pure car- 
bonate of lime. Most of the limestones have been formed from shells 



Marble. 153 

and corals, ground up by disintegrating agencies, and afterwards con- 
solidated. When these shells or corals are found comparatively un- 
broken in the structure of the limestone, it is not so compact or homo- 
geneous, and will not resist in the same degree the erosive action of 
frosts or rains. 

The State capitol is built of a laminated limestone, that shows its 
sedimentary character in the numerous horizontal bands arranged in. 
laminae. It is, in reality, a consolidated bed of calcareous sand. It 
has a bluish gray color, streaked with lines more or less dark. In the 
round columns, they appear as lines or bands. 

A most beautiful limestone for building, forms one of the ridges in 
Houston county, a short distance from Arlington, tiie county seat. It 
is compact and massive, and lies in huge blocks, with vertical seams. 
The stratum must be at least fifty feet in thickness. When dressed, it 
has a creamy or subdued whitish color, with sparkling, crystalline par- 
ticles. AVhen first quarried, it works with ease, but hardens by time. 
It stands weathering, and is almost destitute of fossil remains. It is 
much used in Memphis as capstones, and brings, in that market, a high 
price. 

Dove-colored limestones are found all over the Central Basin. 
Their neutral color makes them a favorite stone for the foundation of 
dwelling-houses. 

Four miles south-west of Nashville, occurs a bed of light-colored 
limestone, good grain, easily Avorked, and very durable. It forms 
some of the most magnificent fronts to the store-houses and other 
buildings in Nashville. The stratum is four or more feet in thickness, 
and is known as the Bosley stone. 

A rock very much of the same character is found in Bell's Bend, 
probably the same stratum as that mentioned above, which has been 
extensively used, and some of it, several years ago, was taken to Mem- 
phis. The owners have made extensive preparations for quarrying this 
stone, a railroad having been built to convey it to the Cumberland 
river. The oolitic limestone of the Cumberland Table-land is an 
excellent building stone, on account of its light color, grain and dura- 
bility. It occurs on the slopes of the Table-land. A light-colored 
sandstone, from the top of this Table-land, has been used for building 
purposes. It is compact, hard and durable. One front in Nashville 
has been constrncted of it. 

There are localities where a soft sandstone occurs, especially in the 
counties of Dickson, Lawrence, Wayne, Perry, and Hickman, This 
rock is much used for building chimneys. When first quarried it is 
soft, easily cut with an axe into desirable shapes, but hardens by ex- 
posure. 

A fine mottled red sandstone suitable for building, occurs in Ander- 
son county. 

In East Tennessee, near the North Carolina line, are places that 
would supply a good granite for building; both gray and reddish vari- 
eties occur, the latter somewhat resembling the Scotch granite. 



1^4 Minerals of Tennessee. 

In the Central Basin, the surface, glady limestones, as well as the 
better rocks from quarries, are utilized in the building of fences. All 
the best farms of Davidson, Maury and Rutherford counties have more 
or less stone fencing. Many of them have no other for outside* 
boundaries. The prevalence of this limestone rock in Middle and 
East Tennessee renders the farmers, in a measure, independent of the 
timber supply for enclosures. Flagstones for pavements can be ob- 
tained in several localities in the Central Basin. Much of the iron 
limestones are in thin sheets, ripplemarked, and answer a good pur- 
pose for flagstones. This has, to some extent, been used for curbing 
and paving in Knoxville and other towns in East Tennessee. Flags 
of sandstones occur in Morgan and Anderson counties. Roofing slates 
are also used for flags. 

A red ferruginous sandstone, occuring in isolated masses on high 
points in West Tennessee, often in fantastic shapes, most usually in 
great cubic blocks, is much used in that region as foundations for 
buildings. It belongs to the Orange Sand formation, and supplies a 
ATOut in that division of the State, owing to the scarcity of building 
stone. A curious specimen of this sandstone occurs at Hollow Rock 
Station, on the St. Louis division of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St» 
Liouis Railway. It is a huge boulder, and is pierced by a large cavity. 

Potter's Clay. This clay results from the decomposition of gran- 
ites and shales. When the clay is red or yellow, it denotes the presence 
of the oxide of iron ; when white, its absence. Potter's clay has a pe- 
culiar unctions feel, and has the valuable property of resisting heat 
without cracking. Considerable deposits of white clay are found in 
East Tennessee, on the Knoxville ^nd Ohio Railroad, and in the vicin- 
ity of the lower Tennessee river, in the counties of Hickman, Perry 
and Wayne ; also in Montgomery and Houston counties. Some of this 
clay has been worked up into stone-ware. There are numerous estab- 
lishments in the State for the manufacture of potter's ware, and quite 
large ones in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. The wares are 
sometimes colored with oxide of manganese. Kaolin, a clay derived 
directly from granite, is found in Carter county. Beds of fine white 
clay are numerous in East Tennessee, and generally, if not always, 
accompany the weathered outcrops of Knox limestone. 

Fire Clay. A useful variety is met with in Stewart county, at the 
heads of several of the smaller valleys. The Memphis and Louisville 
Railroad also cuts through extensive beds in Houston county. Upon 
the erection of the Cumberland Iron Works, on the Cumberland river, 
fire-bricks at an enormous expense were brought from Liverpool. In 
prospecting for iron ore, a bed of grayish-colored earth, underlying a 
bed of gravel, was found near the " Morgan Bank." This earth was 
tested, and the bricks made of it were found to be equal to those 
brought from Liverpool. This bed of clay has been worked to the 
depth of six feet without reaching the bottom. Much of it has been 
shipped to various points. Fire-clay is also found in the Coal Meas- 
ures, always, we believe, immediately underlying a seam of coal. It 



Mai^ble. 



155 



results from the decomposition of the siliceo-argillaceous underlying 
shale, and its plasticity and impervious nature, when collected in a bed, 
prevents it from being carried away by infiltration. 

Gold. Hopes were entertained for many years that this precious 
metal would be found in paying quantities. The first gold was discov- 
ered in the State on Coca Creek, in Monroe county, in 1831. The dis- 
covery produced an intense excitement. The farmer left his plow, the 
woodman his axe, the hunter his gun, the shoemaker his last, and hur- 
ried to this newly found El Dorado. Over a space eight or ten miles 
long and two or three wide, the accumulations in low places and in the 
beds of streams, were " panned' with a commendable industry. But 
no very rich deposits were ever found. The highest average jDer day 
was about two dollars, and this average fell, until gold digging in Ten- 
nessee was abandoned as a profitless business. A company for the pur- 
pose of working the Coca Creek Mines has been formed since the war ; 
what success it has met with we are not informed. The following 
table, taken from Safford's Geology, will show the amount of Ten- 
nessee gold that has been deposited in the United States Mint. It 
will be observed, that the largest quantity for any one year did not 
much exceed $7,000. The two most prosperous years were 1833 
and 1848. 



YEARS. 


VALUE. 


YEARS. 


VALUE. 


YEARS. 


VALUE. 


1831 


$1,000 

1,000 

7,000 

3,000 

100 

300 

1,500 


1839 


$ 300 

104 

1,212 

2,788 
2,240 
3,202 
2,642 


1847 


$2,511 
7 161 


1832 


1840 


1848 


1833 :.... 


1841 


1849 


5 180 


1834 


1842 


1850 


1 507 


1835 


1843 

1844 


1851 


2,377 
750 


1836 


1852 


1837 


1845 


1853 


149 


1838 


1846 


1854 












Total , , 


$46,023 














Lead. Though this metal has been found in various localities in 
East and Middle Tennessee, no sufficient quantity has been met with, 
except at one place, to justify the erection of an establishment for its 
reduction. ^ The veins or pockets have proved unreliable. Among the 
most promising veins is the Caldwell Mine in Union county. Besides 
this, are the Jackson Mines in Bompass Cove, Washington county, the 
Carter and Montgomery Mines in Monroe, and the Hambright Mine 
in Bradley. The Hambright Mine was first opened in 1851. The 
Confederate government worked it in 1861-2-3, employing 100 men, 
and spending $25,000 in erecting works. The lead is in pockets, each 
pocket yielding from a half ton to a ton. In regard to the Caldwell 
Mine, Dr. Saflford, who visited it in 1867, says : 



156 Minerals of Tennessee. 

" Of all that I have seen, there is but one that I regard as promising 
and that is the Caldwell Mine on Powell's river. This is in Union 
county, at a point on the river between Tazewell and Jacksboro', and 
about sixteen miles from the former place. The vein fills a nearly 
vertical fissure, about twenty inches wide, in nearly horizontal rocks. 
It can be traced for nearly a mile. At the time of my visit, very 
little had been done towards its development, but its character, in one 
place on the surface, could be distinctly seen. The galenite, associa- 
ted with blende and some pyrite, occurs in several sheets, with an ag- 
gregate thickness of about five inches. The sheets are separated by a 
gray vein-stone. There is reason to believe that the character of the 
lode will improve further down." 

South of Tazewell, in Claiborne county, a vein of lead ore crosses the 
road leading from Morristown to Cumberland Gap, and has been 
traced for several miles. Large specimens have been picked up, but 
no abundance has been developed. The assays of the best lead ores, 
{galenite or sulphuret of lead,) show that in 100 parts there is of 

Lead 86.6 

Sulphur 13.4 

100.0 

Zinc Ores. There are two ores of zinc easily worked, the smith- 
sonite and calamine. These occur at a number of .localities in consid- 
erable deposits, especially in Claiborne, Union, and Jeiferson counties. 

A large establishment for the manufacture of white oxide of zinc 
for paint, was once in operation at Mossy Creek, in Jefferson county. 
Since the war it has been suffered to go to decay, although it is under- 
stood that the lack of ore, in workable quantities, was not the cause of 
its failure. 

The zinc ores are probably in greatest abundance in Union county. 
Near Powell's river, the Stiner belt of zinc exists. It is fifty or sixty 
feet wide, and is marked by the absence of trees. Dr. Saflford, who 
traced the vein in 1865, for a considerable distance, in an east-north- 
easterly direction, says, that at the time of his visit, six or seven pits 
had been dug and a large quantity of ore thrown out. Some of this. 
was taken down the river, but the most of it has been lying on the 
ground ever since. So far as could be seen, the ore, smithsonite and 
calamine, occurs, with here and there buttons and small masses of- gal- 
enite, and occasionally of blende, with much siliceous matter, in irreg- 
ular " veins," or in a network of veins. The veins apparently run 
vertically into the rocks, are from a few inches to several feet in thick- 
ness, and with the enclosed matter make up the zone described. The 
rocks of the vicinity are dark and blue magnesian limestones, of the 
lower part of Knox Dolomite. Some of them are oolitic, and a few 
thin beds of Knox variegated shale are met with. The strata, in gen- 
eral, are approximately horizontal. The masses of ore thrown out are 
rough, heavy, and generally more or less open. 

The lead and zinc ores are often associated, and with proper means 



Marble. 157 

of transportation, the working of the latter, no doubt, would prove 
remunerative, and add to our mining industry. 

Of the zinc ores, smithsonite {carbonate of zinc,) contains 

Oxide o| zinc 64.8 

Carbonic acid 35.2 

100.0 
Calamine, or silicate of zinc, has 

Oxide of zinc •. 67.5 

Silica 25.0 

Water 7.5 

100.0 

Zinc blende, (sphalerite or sulphuret of zinc) and cerussite, (carbon- 
ate of lead) occur at many of the localities mentioned above, but they 
are of limited importance. They are only mentioned as showing the 
great variety of our mineral deposits. 

Black Oxide of Manganese. This ore is nearly associated with 
iron, especially in the banks of the eastern and western iron regions. 
Though valuable in many of the arts, it has been used only to a limi- 
ted extent in Tennessee. Small quantities are mixed with the iron 
ores in Greene county, which serve to fit the iron for making Bessa- 
mer steel. This mineral is distinguishable from iron ore by the earthy 
black color of its powder. It sometimes resembles magnetic iron ore, 
but differs from it in not being attractable by the magnet. Like iron, 
i|t is found in small masses all over the State. 

Iron Pyrites. This mineral also exists everywhere in the State, 
and inasmuch as it has a yellow color and metallic lustre, it often ex- 
cites hopes of boundless wealth. Scarcely a week passes that the State 
Geologist does not receive a package of the mineral from persons who 
belieye they have discovered gold beds of marvelous promise. It is 
valueless unless when occurring in large quantities, when it may be 
utilized in the manufacture of sulphur and suphuric acid. It can be 
distinguished from gold in several ways. 

1. By its hardness. It strikes fire with steel as readily as flint, and 
from this circumstance it derives its name — pyrites meaning fire-stone. 
Gold, on the contrary, is soft and easily cut, and of course will not 
strike fire with anything. 

2. It makes a black mark on a piece of unglazed porcelain, or on 
the clean surface of a whetstone, while gold always gives a golden 
yellow metallic streak. 

3. If coarsely pulverized and roasted on a shovel to a low red heat, 
it takes fire and burns, giving off the fumes of burning sulphur, while 
gold, under the same conditions, would remain unaffected. 

We have been induced to give these tests in order that persons may 
apply the tests themselves. 

A large quantity of this mineral is found associated with the copper 
at Ducktowb. It also occurs in a considerable bed in Greene county, 



1^8 Minerals of Tennessee. 

two miles south of Greeneville; in Moore and Perry, and indeed 
everywhere in the Black Shale formation. 

Copperas. — The mineral which has just been described, when it 
occurs mixed with shales, very often in sheltered places, decomposes 
in such a way as to give incrustations or deposits of impure copperas. 
The black shale, which crops out on the margin of the Highland Rim, 
is capped by sili«eous, flinty layers. Exposure to the atmosphere 
disintegrates the shales, and leaves circular, cavernous spaces, often 
called "rock houses," with great overhanging rocky ceilings. Some- 
times these are called copperas caves. There are hundreds of these 
rock houses, in which it is common to meet with heaps and specimens 
of copperas. This crude copperas is used for domestic purposes, such 
as dyeing, etc., by persons living in the vicinity. 

During the conflict between the States, tons of copperas were made 
from the debris thrown out from the copper mines at Ducktown, this 
debris consisting in great part of iron pyrites. 

The manufacture of copperas coukl be carried on to considerable 
extent in Tennessee, but the low price of that article presents very few 
inducements at present to engage in its manufacture. 

Heavy Spae oe Baeytes. — A white, heavy mineral used for 
making cheap paints, and takes the place of white lead to some extent. 
It is found in Middle and East Tennessee. It is mined in Greene, 
Washington, Jefferson, and some other counties. It is found usually 
associated with lead, constituting the gangue of that mineral. It oc- 
curs in all the limestone counties of the State, but rarely in workable 
quantities. 

In 1840, while Col. R. C. Morris was prospecting for lead in Mc- 
Minn county, he discovered an extensive bed of it near the mouth 
of Mouse Creek, on the west side of the point of the ridge running 
down between Hiwassee River and the creek, opposite the point from 
where the lead mine was opened. He penetrated the bed for twenty 
feet. The deposit is very rich and heavy. The following are the ship- 
ments from the several stations on the East Tennessee, Virginia, and 
Georgia Railroad for the year ending June 30, 1873: 

Fullen's 455,663 pounds. 

Greeneville 125,498 " . 

Midway 184,847 " 

Morristown 197,835 " 

Sweetwater 76,334 " 

Total 1,040,177 " 

Gypsum. — An extensive bed of gypsum would be very desirable as 
furnishing material for land-plaster, and it has been industriously 
sought for, but as yet no such happy discovery has been made. Nev- 
ertheless, gypsum, in cabinet specimens, has been gathered in many 
points, both in East and Middle Tennessee. Small crystals have been 
observed in great quantities in the soils east of Bays Mountain; in 
many of the lead veins, and in iron pots or gnodes of iron ore of the 
Western Iron region. It takes the form of dazzling incrustations in 



Marble. 1 59 

numerous caves, which often assume, the form of snow rosettes and 
icy vegetation. The most noted of these caves is Gray's Cave, in the 
northern part of Sumner county. On the floor of this cavern are fine 
specimens of crystalized gypsum or selenite. Some of the limestone 
rocks of the Cumberland Table- land are loaded with balls of granular 
gypsum, a true alabaster. Many of these balls are four or five inches 
in diameter, or even larger. 

Common Salt, — Twenty-five or thirty years ago, salt, to some ex- 
tent, Avas made in the State, especially in Overton, White, and Ander- 
son counties. The wells, however, failed to hold out, or the water be- 
came too Aveak to justify further operations, in the face of the compe- 
tition from other quarters. Perhaps the most important locality is at 
Winter's Gap, in Anderson county, Avhere salt Avas manufactured for 
many years. A diagram showing the relative position of this Avell is 
given in the article on coal, p. 107 During the petroleum excitement, 
many Avells bored in search of that oil yielded salt Avater, from which 
a fair percentage of salt might haA^-e been manufactured. On Obey 
River, furnaces Avere erected and the manufacture of salt begun. The 
want of transportation probably caused an abandonment of the works. 
A number of artesian sulphur Avells, among. others those in Nashville, 
and in Henry and Hardin counties, were bored in search of brine. The 
manufacture of salt has not proved thus fai? a profitable industry. 

Saltpeter or Nitrate of Potash. — In 1812-14, a large amount 
of saltpeter was manufactured in this State, and small quantities dur- 
ing the late civil conflict. The nitrous earth is found in caves. These 
<3aves are numerous all OA'^er Middle and East Tennessee. They are 
found in limestone regions. 

Petroleum has been found at various points in the State. In 0\^er- 
ton county there are many places where this oil oozes from the surface. 
Spring Creek, in that county, has given the fairest promise of a remu- 
nerative return. Ten thousand barrels of oil have been obtained from 
the Avells in that vicinity, but the price of transportation made the 
business unprofitable. On Eagle Creek, in the same county, oil was 
obtained. On Jones' Creek, in Dickson county, some oil has been 
found at various times, amounting in all probably to 200 barrels. 
The depth to Avhich the boring Avas carried in Overton county Avas less 
than 100 feet. On Jones' Creek oil was found at the depth of 132 
feet. Deeper borings failed to increase the yield. 

Lignite. — This may be termed a half-formed coal, and is interme- 
diate in character between the true coal and a mass of dead vegetable 
matter. In appearance it sometimes looks like the true coal, but it 
has rarely the deep lustrous black of that mineral. It is very often 
of a brown color, light and sometimes spongy. It does not ignite 
readily, or burn freely, though it is often used for fuel, burning Avhen 
dry, something like rotten wood, and emitting an empyreumatic odor. 
In structure it varies considerably, sometimes showing woody fibre, 
and then approaching in aspect the mineral coal. For commercial 
purposes, its value increases as it approximates the latter in appearance. 



l6o Minerals of Tennessee. 

Sometimes it is scarcely distinguishable, except during combustion, 
>irhen it emits the peculiar .odor mentioned and burns with a smothered 
flame, leaving a large residuum. Extensive beds of lignite are found 
in many of the counties in West Tennessee, and especially in those 
counties in which are the escarpments that overlook the valley-plain 
of the Mississippi. Fair presentations are to be found in Dyer, Lauder- 
dale, Tipton, and Shelby. The beds, sometimes overlying each other, 
vary in thickness from a few inches to four and five feet. A fine bed, 
four feet thick, is seen at Old River in Tipton county. At this place 
are three strata of lignite, with many more thin seams. These beds 
do not spread out laterally very far, but usually thin out and appear 
to have been formed from beds of accumulated vegetable matter, 
either the former growth of swamps, or of drifted material. 

At Raleigh, the old county seat of Shelby county, situated on Wolf 
Hiver, a mine was opened in the winter of 1855-6, and the lignite was 
used as fuel in a hotel at that place. It is said to have been a toler- 
ably good substitute for coal, but in its burning and heating properties 
it was far inferior to that article. Attempts were made also to gener- 
ate steam in a neighboring saw-mill with it, with not very satisfactory 
results. Blacksmiths have employed it in their forges when nothing 
better could be obtained. In very dry seasons, v/hen set on fire, it 
will burn for weeks in the beds. The lignite, like peat, in order to be 
used as a fuel, must be mined in the summer or fall and suffered to 
dry thoroughly. 

Some interesting adventures in reference to this article have occured, 
among others may be mentioned the formation of a joint stock com- 
pany, a few years anterior to the war, for the purpose of mining coal 
near Old Fulton, in Lauderdale county. It was believed by the pro- 
jectors of this company that a real coal mine existed, and great were 
the expectations created. Excitement ran high along the Mississippi 
river. The advice of eminent geologists was disregarded for the super- 
ior knowledge of " practical miners." Great preparations were made 
and considerable sums of money expended in getting out a huge pile, 
which, to the eyes of the " practical miners," was the representative 
of vast wealth. But this, like all other ill-advised schemes, proved 
illusory, and the company dissolved without finding a sale for their 
precious products. 

In many other counties, in the digging of wells, lignite has been 
met with, and its black appearance when damp has given existence to 
rumors about the discovery of coal in West Tennessee. In Carter 
county, also, a limited bed of lignite has been met with, not far from 
Elizabethton. Into this bed pits were sunk and the mineral used for 
a short time. 

We wish to say here, once for all, that no true coal has ever been 
discovered or is likely to be discovered in the State, except within the 
limits of the Cumberland Table-land, or its outliers, the thousand and 
one reports to the contrary notwithstanding. In this, as in many other 
particulars, the negative results of geological surveys have their value, 



Marble. i6i 

inasmuch as they save immense expenditures of labor and capital in 
pursuit of chimerical enterprises. So far as Tennessee is concerned^ 
the Coal Formation is distinctly defined, and outside of it true coal is 
not to be expected. Lignite also has its geological horizon, and be- 
longs to much more recent formations, such as the Tertiary, and more 
modern deposits. In the future cycles of chemical change, embracing 
many ages, lignite may be transmuted into coal, but, as yet, it bears 
the same relation to that article that the sprout does to the old Irish 
oak, that lies imbedded in the peat-beds or morasses of the Emerald 
Isle. 

Another ignis-fatuus that bewilders the unscientific mind and de- 
coys many into the infatuations of delusive hope, is the black shale. 
Because this material is heavily saturated with an inflammable oil, and 
therefore ignites and burns, and because its structure is that of a shale 
or slate, it is thought to be an unerring indication of coal, if not coal 
itself. In hundreds of places in this State this shale has been dug into 
in search of coal, money and time wasted, and hopes blasted. If this 
report should effect no other good than that of deterring persons from 
engaging in such adventures and illusory speculations, it will have 
saved a great deal to the people of the State. For more than twenty 
years men of more than ordinary intelligence have been deceived by 
the black shale and lignite, and we have scarcely visited a county in. 
which indications of coal are not reported — always hearing of it, but 
never seeing it, except in its proper geological position. These errors 
are akin to those spoken of under the head of iron pyrites. 

Alum. Alum is found in the same situations as copperas — in the 
" rock houses " of Middle Tennessee. The black shale could be profit- 
ably used in the manufacture of this salt. It also occurs in the shel- 
tered places of the Unaka Mountains. 

Epsom Salts. In limestone caves, the rocks of which contain 
magnesia, epsom salts are by no means a rare mineral. This material 
is also found in many of the salpeter caves. In some of these it was 
gathered by the barrel during the war. A noted locality for this salt 
is Alum Cave, in Sevier county. 

Bluestone [Sulphate of Copper) This is found at Ducktown in 
large quantities. Beautiful masses have been met with in the mines. 
The water flowing out of the drifts is impregnated with this salt. It 
is not, however, separated as sulphate of copper, but is converted intO' 
metallic copper by being brought into contact with iron. A great 
deal of copper is thus separated every year from this salt. 

Mineral Waters. Tennessee may challenge comparison with any^ 
portion of the United States in the number, variety, excellence, and 
medicinal value of its mineral waters. They occur upon the lofty 
peaks of the Unakas, and break out in groups from the bases of the 
long ridges of the Eastern Valley. The Cumberland Table-land is 
crowned with sparkling chalybeate springs, and beautified by some of 
the loveliest scenery in America. The Highland Rim sends forth 
sulphurous and chalybeate springs too numerous to mention, and even 
11 



1 62 Minerals of Tennessee. 

West Tennessee, from Kentucky to Mississippi, pours forth great vol- 
umes of mineral waters from the deep strata that lie beneath the level 
surface. 

There are many of these springs that have a reputation co-extensive 
with the Union, on account of their curative properties. It cannot 
be doubted that the pure air, magnificent scenery, cooling breezes, and 
other healthful influences, will make these watering places favorite 
summer resorts for all the states lying in a lower latitude. Especially 
do we refer to those places in East Tennessee and on the Cumberland 
Table-land, many of which are handsomely improved, and ofPer ac- 
commodations equal to the best. During the summer of 1873 they were 
crowded with persons fleeing from cholera, and the miasmata which 
infest lower districts. Swarms of visitors from Atlanta, Macon, Savan- 
nah, Charleston, J^ew Orleans, Mobile, as well as from Memphis, 
Nashville and Chattanooga, sought these airy retreats, where blankets 
are in request during the hottest nights of summer. Not even the 
spring region of Virginia or of New York can surpass that of Ten- 
nessee, in the splendor of the climate, the delightful coolness of the 
atmosphere, the wildness and picturesqueness of the scenery, or the 
health-giving properties of the water. 



APPENDIX. 



Recent investigations justify additional facts concerning the mineral 
deposits in Tennessee, and her latent wealth. The present depression 
in the iron interest cannot be of long duration, and when it is profita- 
ble to produce iron anywhere, it must be so in Tennessee, where the 
iron and coal deposits are so rich and the mining and production so 
much cheaper than elsewhere. Hence the following descriptions of 
iron deposits are added, after careful personal inspection. 

ORES OF CARTER AND JOHNSON COUNTIES. 

Among the most noted deposits of iron in the State are those of 
Carter and Johnson counties. Carter's Forge, on Stony Creek, six miles 
from Elizabethton, is supplied with ore from the Cannon Bank. It 
occurs in a regular solid bed, resting upon a stratum of quartzose peb- 
bles, while above and below, the rocks are sandy shale. The ore is 
hematite, angular^ compact and very hard. The yield is 900 pounds 
of wrought iron to the ton of ore, using the Catalan forge, with 100 
bushels of charcoal to the production of 250 lbs. of wrought iron. 

An analysis of this ore, made by Prof B. S^ Burton, of East Ten- 
nessee University, for the Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines, 
gives the following results : 

Cannon Bank. — No. 1. 

Water 0.22 

Silica 2.17 

Metallic iron , , 59.75 

Combined oxygen 25.60 

Sulphur 0.06 

Pliosphorus, 0.003 

This shows just 100 times less phosphorus than the best ores in the 
Lake Superior region, while in the small percentage of sulphur it is 
■equal to the best ores anywhere. 

In smelting the ore from this bank, a flux is necessary. Charcoal 
costs four cents per bnshel, payable in iron at four cents per pound. 

Carter's Furnace, about ten miles from Elizabethton, is supplied 
with ore from the Taylor bank. This ore is of a variety unusual in 
Tennessee, called shot ore. The matrix in which it is found is red 
and yellow clay. The ore is washed, and the waste water contains 
■about three-fourths of the whole amount. The washed ore yields 



1 64 Appendix. 

about forty per cent, of iron. It is perhaps the easiest smelted of all 
the ores in Tennessee. Although not noted for making bar iron, it is 
unsurpassed by any in the United States for making car wheels, for 
which purpose it is used at Knoxville. 

In regard to this oar Prof. N. T. Lupton of Vanderbilt University^ 
gives the following account : 

No. 33 is "shot" iron ore from Carter county, Tennessee. This ore 
consists of small irregularly-shaped masses or grains of a yellowish- 
brown color. It contains 57.33 per cent, of pure iron. Specific grav- 
ity 3.31. Analysis: 

Combined water 9.13 

Silica 6.15 

Sesquioxide of iron 81.90 

Alumina 28 

Oxide of manganese..., 1.17 

Carbonate of lime 92 

Carbonate of magnesia 42 

Phosphoric acid 00 

Sulphur trace. 

99.97 

These ore beds are peculiar. The entire area, of about twenty 
acres, is covered with chimney-shaped limestone rocks, with the apices 
uppermost, and pointed in solid rocks at the depth of from five to 
twenty-five feet. The ore is found between these rocks, and is mined, 
washed and delivered at $'8.40 per ton. Charcoal costs six cents per 
bushel. In the vicinity labor is cheap; men, without rations, are 
hired for 75 cents per day. 

At Speedwell, twelve miles from Elizabethton, a red hematite is 
found, yielding a taugh, hard iron. 1,200 pounds of this ore, in a 
Catalan forge, make 800 pounds of bar iron. The ore is obtained at 
the Hodge ore bank, one mile and a half distant. To 300 pounds 
of wrought iron 100 bushels of charcoal are used. Wood-cutting 
privilege is four cents per cord, and coal is four cents per bushel. 

The analysis of the Speedwell ore is given below. The ore is very" 
compact : 

Hodge Bank. — ^No. 2. 

Water 5.41 

Silica 10.32 

Iron 51.50 

Oxygen combined 22.07 

Sulphur 0.03 

Phosphorus 0.09 

The mineral region along Stony Creek is one of the richest in th|e 
State, as regards quantity and quality. Twenty miles from its mouth 
lies Cross Mountain, a ligament uniting Holston and Iron mountains. 
Upon the very crest of this mountain, in Carter county, are found 
large deposits of red compact hematite. "Shady" is a mountain- 
environed valley in Johnson county, of about twenty square miles — 
the bottom of the valley being 3,000 feet above tide-water. It is 



Appendix. 1 65 

femed for the purity of its iron ore. Several Catalan forges are 
in operation, using bog ore, which is abundant and easily mined, 
making a very superior soft hammered bar iron. It is mined at the 
southern foot of Holston Mountain, at a cost of one dollar per ton. 
The water level is reached at a depth of fifteen feet, and hence the 
thickness of the deposit is undetermined. The yield of roasted ore in 
the open-air forges is about fifty per cent, in bar iron. The ore has a 
curiously laminated appearance, and the iron made from it is remarka- 
ble for its malleability and tenacity of fibre. It has always command- 
ed a high price, and has always found a market. On account of its 
softness and toughness, it is largely used in making rifle barrels. 
Generally the iron made at the forges along Stony Creek in Carter 
county is very hard, and is used extensively for horse shoes and wagon 
tire. The iron made from the ores in the valley of Shady is very 
soft. For fifty years it has been in active demand. Before the conv 
struction of wagon roads, it was bent semi-circularly and brought 
down the mountain on horse-back. 

A famous iron region in Johnson county is on Little Doe Creek. 
This stream, a tributary of Roane Creek, skirts the northwestern base 
of Doe Mountain, and, passing around the southwestern end, enters 
Boane Creek thirteen miles below Taylorsville, the county seat of 
Johnson county. Doe Mountain is a detached mountain lying be- 
tween Iron Mountain on the northwest and Stone Mountain on the 
southeast. It begins at Taylorsville, extending south westwardly for 
the distance of twelve miles, and ending rather abruptly at the con- 
fluence of Little Doe and Roane Creek. The latter enters Watauga 
River eighteen miles below Taylorsville. Indeed, it is a mountain 
almost surrounded by the waters of these two streams. On little Doe 
Creek are four forges of about the same capacity as those mentioned. 
Timber is very abundant in the region of these forges, and ore can be 
procured for about one dollar per ton, payable in iron. 

It is a singular fact that throughout the counties of Johnson and 
Carter the only available currency is bar iron. Iron is taken in ex- 
change for shoes, coflee, sugar, calico, salt, domestic and other articles 
used by the people of the country. It is considered a legal tender in 
the settlement of all dues and liabilities. This bar iron, after being 
collected by the merchants, is sent ou-t and sold in Knoxville, Bristol 
and other points affording a market. 

Stone Mountain, about 5,000 feet high, lies a few miles southeast of 
Doe mountain. Between the two, or rather hugging the base of the 
latter, as has already been stated, flows Roane Creek. Between Stone 
and Doe mountains, near Shawn's Cross Roads, a few miles south of 
Taylorsville, is a high knob known as Gentry mountain. In the side 
of this mountain Donelly's bank has been opened. The excavation 
has been extended to a considerable depth, say fifteen or twenty feet, 
and the ore, a compact brown hematite, is so hard that blasting pow- 
-der is used in raising it. 

South of Taylorsville one mile, at a mill race on one of the head 



1 66 Appendix. 

branches of Roane creek, and also on the road leading from the 
Powell and Watauga Turnpike to the Donelly mine, are fine outcrops 
of very superior limonite. 

Five miles from Taylorsville, on the south-eastern side of Doe Moun- 
tain, there is a long gorge which separates this mountain proper from: 
a protuberance called Little Mountain. Little Mountain is seven 
miles long and rises to the height of 800 feet. It is filled with a 
very rich limonite. The ore occurs in lumps and ledges, with an 
unctious clay of various colors, sometimes yellow, then white, and again, 
of a deep maroon. The ore is also often imbedded in a bluish 
earth. It is easily mined, and many years ago it was the ore almost 
exclusively used in Carter Furnace. At present it is used only in> 
some neighboring forges. Excavations in search of ore have been 
made all over the surface, every one of which reveals an abundant 
supply. The top the ore lies near the surface. Five hundred feet 
below, compact ledges- also occur at a greater depth below the surface- 
of the slope. 

The cost of mining here is very low — fifty cents a ton, payable itt 
iron, being the regular price. The yield of bar iron from the forges 
varies from 500 to 600 lbs. per ton of ore. 

The ore at this place, so abundant and pure, could be reached by the- 
construction of a branch railroad up the Watauga and Roane Creek,, 
uniting with the Johnson City and Cranberry Railroad near Elizabeth- 
ton, twenty miles distant. Probably no one deposit of limonite in 
the State exceeds that found just accoss Roane Creek from Little- 
Mountain and in one of the spurs of Hog Back Mountain, which is an 
oifshoot from Stone Mountain. It is known as Jackson's Big Iron 
Ore Bank. This ore forms a solid ledge near the top of the spur, with 
an exposure fifty feet thick and two hundred yards wide. It covers 
several acres superficially, and in all probability has a depth of 600 
feet, as it outcrops in James' Creek, quite that distance below the crest 
of the spur. Half a mile further, on the same spur, there is another 
exposure equal to the one already described, with a number of smaller 
outcrops extending through several miles. The quality of the ore is 
not good. Though easily smelted it makes a "cold short iron," owing 
to the presence of phosphorus and arsenical compounds. In appear- 
ance this ore has a black tar color, is quite porous and breaks readily. 
Mixed wdth the ores of Little Mountain it makes a good iron. Large 
quantities were so used many years since in Carter Furnace. 

Near Dugger's, on the Watauga river, eighteen miles from Taylors- 
ville, a fine yellow ore is found in large quantities at Taylor's Bank, 
and also a greyish ore which yields about 400 lbs. of bar iron to the 
ton. Needle ore or gothite also occurs here. 

Road Hollow Bank, about half a mile from the mouth of Dry Run 
Creek, near Dugger's Ford, has lately been opened and supplies a very 
desirable ore. All the hills around Dugger's Ford on both sides of 
the Watauga are filled with limonite. 

Outcrops of ore continue for fifteen miles along Stone Mountain- 



Appendix, 1 67 

The most valuable and interesting of all the ores of this region, is the 
great magnetic vein that begins at Cranberry valley, in Mitchell 
county, North Carolina, crosses on the north-western side of Eoane 
Mountain in Carter county, re-entering North Carolina, and extending 
to the hills that overlook Nolichucky river. (See map.) In all, its 
length is about thirty-seven miles. This ore at Cranberry occurs in a 
spur of Hunchback mountain, on the south-east side of Cranberry Cove. 
The vein, inclosed between walls of metamorphic rocks and associated 
with sahlite, runs at this place nearly east and west. The spur rises to the 
height of about 600 feet and covers quite 200 acres. A long gorge lies 
along the summit of this mountain, sinking about one hundred 
feet below the crest, dividing the summit into two parts. The two 
faces of this gorge, as well as the bottom, show an outcrop of magnetic 
or« unsurpassed in richness, quantity and quality. The main load 
here crosses the ravine mentioned, in a line running south-east and 
north-west. It runs here two miles without a break and has a depth 
of quite 400 feet, and a width of 200 feet on the outcrop. On the face 
of the spur it makes great solid ledges. The ore from this place has 
been worked for many years in a little forge. It is very hard and 
tough and answers the purpose of steel in the manufacture of many 
farm implements. The ore, for the most part, has a black metallic 
lustre, of a granular structure and breaks readily. Some openings 
show an ore of a yellowish cast, which is known as " Rattlesnake" ore. 
This is more easily smelted than the black. All the ore is magnetic 
but not strongly so, and has the property of imparting magnetic prop- 
erties in a slight degree to steel. 

One mile and a half north-west of Cranberry is a small ridge, which 
forms the water shed between the waters of Elk Creek and Doe Eiver, 
(not Doe Creek). Both are tributaries of the Watauga. The head 
waters of Elk Creek pass through Cranberry valley. The headwaters 
of Doe Eiver take their rise in Crab Orchard, a cove that lies in Ten- 
nessee, and is the counterpart of Cranberry valley. This cove extends 
from the water shed mentioned, seven miles north-west, and is bounded 
on the north by Buck Mountain and White Eock— on the south by 
Humpback Mountain, Eoane Mountain and Yellow Mountain. 

The magnetic vein continues all along the south-western side of this 
cove in the spurs which shoot out from the mountains on the south- 
west. It is often cut out by ravines, but appears in the next spur. 
It does not differ from the Cranberry ore. It passes out of the State 
at an elevation of 3,650 feet above the sea. An analysis made by 
Prof. Burton is given below : 



Magnetite from Carter County — No. 3. 
writer ' ^'^^ 

Sr=;=:=:=:=:.:zv::=::=.=Z6li 

Combined Oxygen 24.29 

Sulphur 0.06 

Phosphorus - "•"' 



1 68 Appendix. 

The specimen analyzed was about an average sample of the ore. 

This ore is highly esteemed for making the best grades of steel. 
Experiments made with it in England show its eminent superiority in 
this particular. Steel made of it, only two removes from the ore, was 
used in the manufacture of the finest cutlery. Knives made of this 
steel would shave a nail without having the edge impaired. 

This magnetic ore is within 80 miles of the coal fields, and passes 
through a region heavily clothed with dense forests. It is the nearest 
steel-making ore to Pittsburg, and must compete with the Lake Supe- 
rior ores when proper outlets are constructed. 

The water-power contiguous to this magnetic ore is excellent. At 
Cranberry several mountain streams have been collected in a lake that 
covers eight or ten acres. The water is let out from this lake through 
a race some 200 yards long, at the termination of which there is a fall 
of 36 feet. Other streams, as Roane Creek, Doe and Nolichucky Rivers, 
with their numerous tributaries, supply water-power of incalculable 
force. Factory, mill, or furnace sites are easily found, with ample 
power in almost every valley. Timber for building is convenient and 
abundant, and although a mountainous country, it possesses great fer- 
tility of soil, and the grazing privileges are equal to any in the United 
States. The vein crosses a series of high spurs, between which ifee 
streams have cut out valleys from 300 to 400 feet deep, thus making 
it easy of access. Hitherto this region has been out of the world of 
life and activity. Now a railroad is under contract and in process of 
construction from Johnson City, 24 miles south-west of Bristol, on the 
East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad, to the iron region, 
■opening communication between this rich deposit of ore and the coal 
fields of Tennessee. 

While the quantity of ore in this magnetic vein would be 
equal to any probable demand in this locality, there are not 
wanting rich banks of limonite in Doe River valley. Twelve miles 
above Johnson City, the mountains widen out and make a third cove, 
known as Doe River cove. In this cove there are five good banks of 
limonite that have been worked. These are the Logan Bank, Cedar 
Hill Bank, Fork Mountain Bank, Hyder Bank, and Lacy Bank. 
The latter has a ledge of iron ore showing a face of five feet 
along the mountain for 100 yards. All these banks are found in the 
Chilhowee sandstone formation. The ore shows by analyses about 48 
per cent, of metallic iron, with a small per centage of sulphur and phos- 
phorus. Some of it is too siliceous for working. These banks are 
in the Stone Mountain range. In Carter and Johnson counties there 
are 18 forges in operation. They run from one to two fires, making 
daily each about 300 lbs. of bar iron. 

ORES OF CHILHOWEE MOUNTAIN. 

Between the Little Tennessee River and the Chilhowee Mountain a,re 
large deposits of ore only surpassed in East Tennessee by those first 



Appendix. 1 69 

mentioned. Ten miles south-east of Maryville, a line of spurs begin, 
running out from the south-eastern slope of Chilhowee Mountain. 
This line of spurs continues for the distance of 20 miles to McGhee's 
Ford, the southern terminus of Chilhowee Mountain. Many of these 
spurs are filled with brown hematite of a good quality. A specimen 
obtained at Razor mines, on the Flats of the Chilhowee near its north- 
eastern extremity, which is a fair representative of all the ores of the 
mountain, shows by analysis the following : 

Blount County Ore. — No. 4. 

Water 7.54 

Silica 21.29 

Iron 47.10 

Oxygen Combined 20.18 

Sulphur 0.04 

Phosphorus 1.44 

A curious fact develops itself in this ore, and that is, the exceedingly 
small quantity of Avater in its composition, which is only about half that 
of the true limonite. The ore indeed approaches a red hematite, and 
in the south-western end of the mountain, on the farm of Esq; Har- 
rison, beds of hematite are found, though generally too siliceous for 
profitable working. This deposit of the Chilhowee crosses the Little 
Tennessee at McGhee's ford, appears southward in the hills beyond the 
river, crops out in large blocks on Ball Play creek, and presents itself 
in great abundance at Tellico Plains, forming a noticeable feature of 
Stone Mountain, which is sixty miles from the Chilhowee "Flats." The 
samie deposit runs north-easterly through Sevier county, and at Wolffs 
Creek, in Cocke county, rises in a mighty mass, forming Peck^s Iron 
Mountain, from which it may be traced for many miles in the same 
general direction, appearing in Greene county, associated with the 
black oxide of manganese ; in Washington county, with galenite until 
in unites with the almost matchless deposits of Johnson and Carter 
counties, of which mention has already been made. The whole line of 
deposits from Polk to Johnson is not less than 150 miles long. 

Recurring to the ores of Chilhowee, while they are large they show 
in the outcrop more silicious matter than is fonnd in most of the other 
deposits in Tennessee. Though the outcrop is siliceous, it is highly 
probable that the ore at a lower depth is of a better quality, as is the 
case in many of the banks worked elsewhere in the State. 

Reference has been made to Peck's Iron Mountain. This is one of 
several that lie at the terminus of the Cincinnati, Charleston & Cum- 
berland Gap Railroad, and form a line running north-east and south- 
west. This range of hills extends through a large part of Cocke 
county, and lies at the north-western foot of the main Unaka chain. 
The Ores of these hills, the chief of which is Peck's Iron Mountain, 
are associated with sandstones and metamorphic rocks. Generally it 
is a hydrous peroxide with the oxide of manganese intermixed, but 
some specular ore is met with among the gneissoid rocks. 



1 70 Appendix. 

Peck's Iron Mountain covers quite fifty acres, and the ore caps the 
mountain in great blocks or amorphous masses. For four hundred 
yards down the mountain the surface is covered with the great black 
masses. The other hills of the range occupy from ten to thirty acres 
and are separated from one another by deep gorges or ravines. An 
analysis of this ore made for this department gives the results below : 

Ore from Peck's Iron Mountain. — No. 5. 

Water 10.84 

Silica 6.85 

Iron 47.97 

Oxygen combined 20.55 

Sulphur 0.08 

Phosphorus 1.71 

It will be perceived that the amount of water in its composition is 
much less than the standard limonite, the latter having 14.4 per cent. 
It therefore approaches a hematite. There is considerable oxide of 
manganese in its composition, which was not separated in the analysis. 
It would doubtless be valuable for making spiegeleisen. The only 
feature about the analysis that is objectionable is the proportion of 
phosphorus, which would have the tendency to make a cold short iron. 
. The mountains are heavily timbered with white and yellow pine, 
chestnut, hickory, hemlock and poplar. The ore could be easily trans- 
ferred by a tramway to the Wolf Creek Valley, where abundant sites 
for furnaces can be found. The cost of mining ore from Peck's Iron 
Mountain would not exceed thirty cents per ton. It is within three 
miles of Riverside Station on the railroad. Other extensive deposits 
occur in the county, but I have had no opportunity to examine them 
in detail. 

BANKS OF McMINN COUNTY. 

A bed of fossil iron ore, found in McMinn and Loudon counties, 
is remarkable as occurring in the Lower Silurian formation. 
All the other fossil ores are found in the Upper Silurian. This 
ore forms a long rounded ridge running N. E. and S. W. for two 
miles, with an average height of 75 feet, and width on the surface of 
450 feet. The strata all dip at an angle of 20° to the S. E., and the 
ore lies between a bed of yelloAvish shale above and a variegated mar- 
ble below. The following is an approximate section at this point : 

Iron Limestone, forming red knobs 250 feet. 

Calcareous Shale, buff colored 300 " 

Fossil Ore, (Hematite) 75 " 

Variegated Marble 125 " 

Lithographic Stone, good and bad 30 " 

Variegated Marble 60 " 

Blue Limestone Unknown depth. 

The amount of ore here is immense, and there is no place known 
where it can be more easily mined. Not far from the bank begin the 
Red Knobs, abounding in excellent timber for making charcoal. The 
ore found in this bank (Thomas') has not been worked for many years. 



Appendix. 1 71 

It is a red hematite, oolitic, and contains nearly as much water as the 
limonite of Chilhowee Mountain. Its good qualities may be inferred 
from the analysis given below, as also from the fact that it was used 
thirty years ago in making a bar iron whose excellent qualities have 
not been forgotten by the citizens of the neighborhood. The upper 
part is siliceous, but the ore becomes very fine a few feet below 
the surface. In the banks it is disposed in tile-shaped, angular 
masses having the same thickness. The broken layers are separated 
by thin strata of deep maroon-colored clay an inch or more in thick- 
ness. The following is an analysis of it : 

McMinn Ore (Thomas' Bank.)— No. 6. 

■\ya,ter ^-^^ 

gilica ^'^^ 

Iron. '''"^Z"'. 56.65 

Combined Oxygen ^aH 

Sulphur ^ 0.09 

Phosphorus "-^^ 

Important deposits of good fossil ore occur in McMinn county 
besides that of Thomas' bank. These are found in the Upper Silurian 
in seams of varying thickness. The ore is excellent in quality^ and 
abundant in quantity. Most of the seams occur in^ Estanallee Ridge,, 
that runs nearly through the centre of the county in a north-east and 
south-west direction. This ridge has an elevation of quite 400 feet 
and is densely clothed with timber. The soil is fertile, the slopes 
steep, and limestone prevails throughout its entire length. 

The ore lies in two or three seams near the crest of this ridge. On 
the lands of W. B. McKamey, three miles from_ Riceville, several 
openings have been made, which display a seam 18 inches thick. This 
seam lies between two strata of blue limestone of the Upper Silurian. 
Immediately above the limestone is a layer of red clay three feet thick, 
then a yellow shale which is capped by a dark sandy shale. The strata 
here all dip to the south-east, making an angle of 10° with the plane 
of the horizon. The openings are near the top, and the iron ore^ re- 
appears at a lower level on the south-eastern face of the ridge. The 
lower outcrops show an ore highly calcareous. Specimens taken from 
the higher outcrop on McKamey's land analyze as follows : 

Fossil Ore (McKamey's Bank.)— No. 7. 

Water 1-02 

Silica 13.8? 

Iron 60.21 

Combined Oxygen 25.80 

Sulphur 0-09 

Phosphorus ^-'2 

Easterly a few miles from McKamey's, the ridge separates into, 
two arms. A ligament on the lands of L. B. Dodson, Esq., unites the 
two arms. On the cross-ridge or ligament the ore outcrops in large 
masses at a much lower level than in McKamey's land, and shows a 
considerable amount of carbonate of lime in its composition. It is 
regularly stratified, however, and the line of strike is nearly north-east 



172 Appendix. 

and soutli-west, with a dip to the south-east. The outcrop shows a 
thickness of nearly five feet, but this ore is of no great value, except 
as a flux, owing to the predominance of the carbonate of lime. About 
half way this cross-ridge there occurs an anticlinal axis, the dyestone 
ore appearing just below a yellowish shale within fifty feet of the top. 
'On the south-west side of the main Estanallee Ridge there are said to 
be three distinct strata of the fossil ore, but I could only find two ; the 
upper one being from 11 to 18 inches thick, the lower one about the 
same. Upon the crest of a high hill, some twenty feet above the upper 
seam, is a considerable outcrop of excellent ore. Large blocks lie 
scattered about the field, which are probably the remnant of a third 
stratum which has been carried away by erosion. 

On the lands of Mr. Dodson, there is a spur running north-west 
from the main ridge and nearly opposite the cross-ridge heretofore 
spoken of. Upon the western face of this spur fossil ore appaars in 
workable quantities imbedded in a matrix of black siliceous earth and 
yellowish clay. The ore from this place is very beautiful, having a 
rich royal purple lustre. It occurs in square and angular blocks in all 
sizes, up to a flour barrel. Fossils abound in it, such as crinoidal 
buttons, fragments of trilobit^ and small corals. It is very pure and 
is universally admired. An analysis gives the following : 

Fossil Ore (Dodson's Land.) — No. 8. 

Water 1.32 

Silica 13.14 

Iron ,. 60.03 

Combined Oxygen 25.72 

Sulphur 0.024 

Phosphorus ; 0.13 

In another ridge lying between the two arms, but farther north-east, 
a great mass of fossil ore appears On the side of the ridge, that will 
weigh many tons. It is four or five feet across and lies in a bed of 
rocks that shows great disturbance. This ore is very hard, and judg- 
ing from its appearance it is very rich. Above there is a stratum of 
limestone deeply tinted with red. This outcrop is on the lands of 
Hon. N. Dodson. North-east of this place outcrops of fossil ore are 
numerous in Estanallee Ridge and in its spurs and outliers. Several 
of these, belonging to J. L. Carruth, are promising. One average sam- 
ple analyzes as follows : 

Ore from Estanallee Kidge. — No. 9. 

Water 1.10 

Silica 18.05 

Iron 56.58 

Combined Oxygen 24.24 

Sulphur 0.04 

Phosphorus 0.63 

_ Two seams appear all along Estanallee Eidge for many miles. The 
timber on the ridges is of very superior character, while the soils are 
among the best in the State, and highly productive of the bread-grains. 
Water power is furnished by the numerous parallel streams that empty 
into the Hiwassee river, and railroad communication by the East Ten-. 
nessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad. 



Appendix. 1 7S 

WESTERN IRON BELT. 

In Safford's Geology of Tennessee it is stated that the iron ores of 
this belt, with one exception near Clifton, in Wayne county, are classed 
among; the brown hematites or limonite. Further investigation has 
shown this statement to be too sweeping. Associated with limonite 
oftentimes is a "Needle ore,'' or Onegite, an acicular Gothite, sometimes 
radiately grouped and resembling a rosette. It has usually a fibrous, 
structure with the aciculse parallel, separating easily into fine needles. 
A fibrous hematite is sometimes found associated with the other ores,, 
though rarely. A beautiful specimen, found at Lagrange Furnace,. 
Stewart county, analyses as follows : 

Fibrous Hematite. — No. 10. 

Water J-J5 

Silica 1-96 



Iron 



.65.92 



Oxygen combined ^aa5 

Sulphur 0.04 

Phosphorus , ^'^^ 

The analysis shows it to be very pure. 

Another variety of iron are found throughout this region, belonging^ 
to the hydrous oxides, has been classed as a limonite, though reaUy 
richer. It is known to mineralogists as Turgite. It has a sub-metalic 
lustre and flies to pieces when heated in a closed tube. It form often- 
times the interior of the " pot " ore, sometimes the exterior of compact 
ore, and the line of demarcation between this and the limonite is dis-^ 
tinct. Prof. Burton analysed a specimen of this from Cumberland 
Iron Works, Stewart county, taken from the interior of a hollow iron, 
concretion (pot ore) with the following result : 

Mainly Turgite from Pot Ore.— No. 11. 

Water 8.38 

Silica 1^ 

Iron ll-f 

Oxygen combined aa^ 

Sulphur 0.07 

Phosphorus ^'^° 

The result of these analyses were so unexpected that I addressed a 
note to Prof. Burton, asking a word of explanation. In reply Prof. 

Burton says ; 

"Knoxville, June 12, 1876. 

" In regard to the two ores in question, Nos. 10 and 11, permit nae 
to add the explanation of their apparent anomaly ; and, if you will 
excuse the liberty, I will also add a few remarks on iron ores generally. 

From a metallurgical point of view there are two classes of ores, 
(I leave ourf: those which have no bearing on the point in question,) 
the red and brown hematites (limonite.) 

The Bed Hematite is Fcg O3, which, when chemically pure, contains 
no water, but this never occurs so in nature, containing always more 
or less water, say the highest amount being 4 per cent, in rich ores. 



1 74 Appendix. 

The Limonite, like the red hematite, of all grades of purity, is repre- 
sented by 2 Fe2, O3 + 3 Ho. 

The water varies from 16 to 10 per cent, in rich ores, but between 
the " red and brown " come two other oxides of well-determined com- 
position, viz : Turgite and Gothite occurring with the other two ox- 
ides (red and brown hematites). I give them in order, also with pages 

in Dana. 

Fe2 O3 Iron. Water. Page in Dana. 

Eed Hematite, Feg O3 100 70. 0.0 140 

Turgite, 2 ¥e^ O3, HO 94.7 66.29 5.3 167 

Gothite, Fe2 O3, HO 89.9 62.93 10.1 169 

Limonite, 2 Fe2 O3, HO 85.6 59.92 14.4 172 

In the above it must be recollected that this is the theoretical com- 
position, which very seldom, almost never, occurs in nature. The 
analyses (made from carefully selected pieces) quoted, show only how 
near they approximate these numbers. 

Of course, when the amount of wafer increases from any admixture 
(perhaps of another oxide of iron) the amount of iron must decrease 
proportionally. 

Now in regard to Turgite — this is usually taken for limonite; it 
forms the shining black crust on limonite specimens, generally about 
i inch thick, which separates easily from the rest; is formed from 
limonite by the loss of two molecules of water; the next step being 
to pass into red hematite. This is " often taken for limonite." (Dana, 
108.) The specimen No. 11, consisted mainly of Turgite with limonite, 
the latter raising the per cent, of water and lowering the iron. The 
averaged sample giving 90.12 per cent. Fe2 O3, or 63.09 Iron, of course, 
in a ton the amount of Turgite would be proportionally much smaller, 
perhaps lower the iron to some 50 odd per cent. 

In regard to the ''Needle Ore.'' "Needle ore" is a name applied to 
a hydrous oxide of iron of the composition of Gothite, in fact is Goth- 
ite. See Dana, 170, var. 2. 

The specimen No. 10 corresponds in physical properties closely to 
the description I allow, (" reddish and blackish -brown"), but here it 
ends. 

This calls for a streak (its fine powder) of a " brownish-yellow or 
ochre-yellow," like the other hydrous oxides, but No. 10 gives a bright 
red streak like the anhydrous oxide. 

To belong here it must give at least'9.47 water or somewhere near the 
theory (the specimen was small and pure) which is 10.1, but it contains 
only 3.65 per cent of water. (The water determination I repeated to- 
day with the same result.) The iron for Gothite should not be over 
■62.93 per cent., while the iron found is 65.92 per cent. 

Now the truth is, this ore (or at least the small specimen examined) 
is a fibrous red hematite, all statements to the contrary notwithstanding 
It is, by no means, an uncommon form of red hematite, and I entered 
it as such in my book before the analysis was made — for description 



Appendix, 175 

see Dana, p. 141, var. 2 : "Compact columnar; or fibrous." I notice 
what Safford says in his Geology, p 436, note, but his statement is, 
probably, not founded on proper investigation, and will have to be 
modified. 

Allow me to call your attention to p 930 : " Resources of Tennessee." 
An analysis made by E. S. Wayne, of an ore from " Lagrange Fur- 
nace," in which is found 65.75 per cent. iron. I do not know what 
ore this was, but I strongly suspect it to be the same red hematite as 
No. 10. The note was made on the assumption that the ore is li- 
monite. The amount of iron is ve,ry near the same as I find in the 
red hematite — which comes from the same place. I trust that this 
will be satisfactory to you, and you may make any use of the facts you 
desire. The result of the whole thing is this, that No. 11 was mainly 
Targite, and No. 10 is a fibrous red hematite, which the streak and 
analysis abundantly prove. 

Yours Truly, 

B. S. Burton." 

With few exceptions, all the ore of the Western Belt is brown 
hematite. This occurs in various forms ; pipe ore, resembling reeds 
agglutinated together; pot ore, or hollow concretions, yellow ocre, 
a" brownish, yellow soft mass ; blach jack ore, a black, compact 
coal-like mass; honeycomb, filled with small cavities resembling 
honeycomb; shell ore, having contorted laminae resembling a mass 
of shells; needle ore, or gothite, fibrous and acicular, which sep- 
arates into small needles when struck ; (this is often a hematite) ; 
^hot ore, which occurs in small shot-like particles ; bog ore, which 
usually occurs below the water level and shows a laminated structure, 
The pot ore mentioned is a hollow concretion filled usually with water, 
but sometimes with sand, and occasionally with fossils. The size of 
these pots is variable ; sometimes they are as large as a hogshead, and 
then again not larger than an orange.' Externally the pots are rough. 
The interior surface has often a silky metallic lustre ; sometimes very 
smooth, with a velvety black color ; again stalactitic, maramillary, or 
botryoidal, highly polished and resisting oxydization in a remarkable 
degree. The internal coating for an inch or more in some specimens, 
is fibrous or sub-fibrous, the fibres being perpendicular to the internal 
surface, forming rays pointing to the center. Occasionally the internal 
surface is covered with ridglets intersecting one another at every pos- 
sible angle, giving it a magnified honeycomb appearance. The play 
of iridescent colors upon the polished mammillary surfaces^ is some- 
times beautiful. The sand which is occasionally found enclosed has 
the singular quality of being always in motion, which is no doubt due 
to its exceeding fineness. It is called silica vivaois, because^ of its 
ceaseless movements. Prof. Lupton of the Vanderbilt University was 
the first to call attention to this phenomenon. 



176 Appendix. 

VEENON FURNACE. 

This Furnace lies in Montgomery county, eight miles from Clarks- 
ville. It is the only one of several valuable iron properties and old 
furnace sites now used. The character of this country is the same as 
that found in Dickson and Stewart counties, adjoining on the west and 
south — the cherty hills of the lithostrotion bed, with steep slopes, and 
thin soil on the south hill sides, and very fertile on the north hill sides 
and in the valleys. The country is mostly divided by the action of 
water into long ridges, which are fissured with deep gullies, showing 
ferruginous subsoil and often outcrops of ore. The entire region is 
well watered with fine bold streams, with much excellent Avater power, 
and is exceedingly well timbered. The following statement from the 
books of the company working this furnace, shows the cost of making 
iron in this belt, with first, rate management : 

Number of tons made in 170 days — 1,900. 

Cost, including hauling to the railroad and loading cars — $34,977. 

Cost per ton— $18.40. 

Capacity of Furnace— 14 tons. 

Charcoal used to ton of iron — 135 bushels. 

The ore used \ lump and f fine pea ore washed and dried ; 3.67 
tons of raw ore, or 5,300 lbs. of roasted ore, make one ton of iron, 
and 2268 lbs. of limestone, or one ton, cost 85 cents. 

Coal costs six cents per bushel of 2688 cubic inches. 

Wood 50 cents a cord, payable in goods. 

The average of the land is 40 cords per acre. The timber consists 
of oak, poplar, and hickory. The charges are as follows : 

Coal 30 bush. 

Fine ore 700 lbs. 

Lump ore 300 " 

Limestone : 1 20 " 

No. charges in 24 hours 62 

The iron made is a mild, cold short, nearly neutral iron. It is sold 
as mill and is one-half mill, 2-5 foundry, 1-10 silver grey. On ac- 
count of its hardness, rolling mills have given it reputation for rail 
heads and horseshoe bars. 

We have already referred, on page 136, to Steele's Bank in Mont- 
gomery county, and the great extent of the deposits of iron ore at that 
point. These deposits extend over the whole of the south-western 
corner of the county. At Vernon Furnace, 10 miles south of Clarks- 
ville, the banks are very rich. There are many finger-like spurs pro- 
jecting out from the general level of the country. These spurs have 
extensive deposits of ore, but occasionally a " dirt horse" is encoun- 
tered which continues for several feet. Surface ore is not always the 
best sign, as it may indicate an erosion of the upper surface and a 
degradation of the ores into fine particles, which are swept away by 
heavy rains in a great measure, or left exposed upon the surface. 



Appendix. I77 

The main deposit at Vernon Furnace lies south of the furnace stack. 
That north is rather siliceous. About 640 acres are filled with large 
deposits of limonite. At one place is a face of ore 38 feet high. 
About three-fourths of this bank is fine ore ; that is to say, the lumps, 
will average about an inch in diameter, though they are often seven 
or eight feet through. When the clay is chalky in appearance, with 
slight stains of red, rich ore is apt to be found underneath. The white 
appearance of the clay may be due to the separation of the oxide of 
iron by percolation. The ore is so abundant that one hand often raises 
three tons per day. One mile east of the furnace is found a bluish ore 
which it less refractory than the " black jack" ore found immediately 
around the furnace. This blue ore requires for smelting 35 bushels- 
of coal less per ton of pig iron. 

The ore beds around Vernon Furnace have been worked for 35 
years, and new exposures are constantly made. The facilities for 
transportation are excellent. The Cumberland river and the Memphis, 
branch of the Louisville, Nashville & Great Southern Railroad being 
within three miles of the banks. 

Another very extensive bed of ore is Bryan's Bank, which lies on 
the north bank of Cumberland river, twelve miles below Clarksville,. 
opposite Palmyra, which is a station on the railroad. This ore is 
mainly pipe, with some honeycomb. It has been dug to the depth 
of 85 feet without exhaustion. At this depth the water level wa& 
rdfeched and the diggings extended laterally. The deposit extends in 
an irregular line, running north-east and south-west and comes to 
within three feet of the surface. It increases in compactness with the 
depth. The elevation of the hill above the water level of the river at 
low water is 90 feet. This hill is bisected by a little stream that enters 
the Cumberland. On the north-east side of this stream several pits- 
have been sunk and the same quality of ore found, showing a width of 
quite 400 yards. It passes across the river and re-appears on the 
southern side. For making a tough iron or as a base for Bessemer 
steel, no ore yet found in the State is superior to this. It has been 
fully tested for both purposes. It is also much richer than is usual 
with limonite, yielding from the furnace 49.61 per cent, without roast- 
ing. In other words, a ton of pig iron was made from very little over 
two tons of rem ore. It is very uniform in quality and the deposit 
is singularly free from pot or black jack ore. The porosity of the ore 
makes it easy to smelt, and it is a favorite with all furnace men who 
have tried it. Much of it has been shipped to Pittsburg, and it has in 
every case given satisfaction. 

IRON INTERESTS OF STEWART COUNTY. 

Stewart county has advantages over any other section of the State,, 
for the cheap production of charcoal iron, and its transportation to 
market. The ores are practically inexhaustible, and yield from 5J to 
59 per cent, of pure metallic iron, are easily smelted, and produce iron 
of a very superior quality. 
12 



1 78 Appendix. 

EOTJGH AND EEADY. 

This furnace^ near the north bank of the Cumberland river and the 
Montgomery county line, lies in Stewart county. It is the centre of a 
large and valuable tract of land of about 8,000 acres. The deposits 
of limestone on the north bank of the Cumberland, cover an area of 
about 25 or 30 square miles in Tennessee, extending into Trigg county, 
Kentucky, and running to the Ohio river in Crittenden county. 
Every variety of limonite is found here; pipe, pot ore, black jack, etc., 
are found in all directions from the furnace for 5 or 6 miles around, 
and in some of the banks the ore is mingled with a crystallized, almost 
transparent, massive gypsum. This is a part of the iron field which 
furnishes the celebrated Tennessee Boiler Iron. The Kentucky line 
is eight or ten miles north of Rough and Ready Furnace. The banks 
■around this furnace, and those about old Bellwood, are the only ones 
of value found on the north side of the Cumberland in Tennessee. 
This furnace has not been in blast for two years. 

CUMBEELAND lEON WOEKS. 

The two largest iron properties in Stewart county are the Cumber- 
land Iron Works, owned by Woods, Yeatman & Co., and the Lagrange 
Iron Works, owned by J. C. Garrett and others. These two compa- 
nies own one hundred thousand acres, which connect and run together 
for twelve miles on the crest of the Tennessee ridge, which is the water 
shed between Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. 

The Cumberland Iron Works property contains sixty thousand 
acres of land, and is the best charcoal iron property in the United 
States — perhaps unsurpassed in the world. It has thirty thousand acres 
of original growth of timber now standing, while the second growth 
•coming on covers twenty thousand acres, six thousand acres of which 
are in good condition for making charcoal. This property lies on both 
sides of the Cumberland river, and has a front on either side of five 
(5) miles. Five streams, fed by innumerable springs, flow through 
this immense domain and enter the Cumberland river from the north 
and the south. The ores on the north side of the river and adjacent 
to Bellwood Furnace, are in two high ridges lying between Cross and 
Cub Creeks, — and these ridges are covered with fine rich soil, the 
growth of which is walnut, poplar, sugar tree, hickory, beech, oak, 
^tc. This ore, as analysed by Prof. J. Blodgett Britton, of Philadel- 
phia, shows : 

Ore from Cumberland Iron Works. — No. 12. 

Pure metallic iron 57.84 

Oxygen with the iron 24.37 

Water 11.96 

Insoluble siliceous matter 3.59 

Soluble silica 78 

Sulphur none. 

Phosphoric aoid i^^ll:^- :!} 64 



Appendix, 1 79 

Alumina 13 

Lime.... 05 

Magnesia 03 

Manganese, undetermined matter, and loss 71 

100.00 
There are other large deposits of iron ore on the north side, but as 
they have not been needed at all, they have not been developed. 

The ores on the south side of the river are in almost every hill, 
ridge and ravine within a circle of ten miles in diameter, the principal 
deposit of which, however, is in two high ridges, covered with a rich 
soil. These ridges begin within half a mile of the Cumberland and 
run parallel one with the other to Long Creek, five miles distant. 
These ores, as analysed by Prof. Britton, produced : 

Ore from Cumberland Iron Works. — No. 13. 

Pure metallic iron 59.22 

Oxygen with the iron 24.88 

Water 11.06 

Insoluble matter, white sand 3.21 

Soluble silica 13 

Sulphur none. 

Phosphoric acid {S»t7-. i§} 36 

Alumina 49 

Lime 17 

Magnesia 06 

Manganese and loss 42 

Analyses of two other specimens taken from a bank near Bear 
Spring Furnace, which is situated on this property, Imve been made 
by Prof Burton of East Tennessee University. One of pot ore, No. 
11, has already been given on page 173. The other is of pipe ore, 
and yields : 

Pipe Ore. — No. 14. 

Water 10.94 

Silica 4.77 

Iron 59.98 

Oxygen combined 25.70 

Sulphur , , 0.11 

Phosphorus 0.40 

These are the ores that have been smelted at Dover, Bear Spring 
-and Bellwood Furnaces by Woods, Yeatman & Co., and their prede- 
cessors, from 1829 to this day, and which established the superiority 
of Tennessee Iron. In 1830 Yeatman, Woods <fe Co. shipped a cargo 
of pig metal on the steamboat Thomas Yeatman to Pittsburg, and 
from that time to this, forty-six years, Tennessee Iron has had a repu- 
tation foT good quality almost unequalled. 

And although these deposits have been drawn upon to supply ore 
to from two to five farnaces for nearly half a century, it is nevertheless 
true that the ores of this property are not yet developed — the bottom 
has never been reached, the extent of the deposit is not known, and 
what has been done in 47 years only goes to show that the ores of this 
property are practically inexhaustible. 



i8o Appendix. 

Thirty thousand (30,000) acres of this estate is suitable for cultiva- 
tion, and will produce profitably tobacco, wheat, corn, oats, barley, 
potatoes, blue grass, timothy, herds grass, apples, peaches, grapes, etc.;, 
and fully 15,000 acres is lAo. 1 land; river bottom 5,000 acres; creek 
bottom 5,000 acres ; rich hills not too steep for cultivation 5,000 acres, 
upon which are now standing poplar, beech, hickory, oak, sugar tree, 
dogwood, and grape vines in abundaiKse. 

There are four furnace sijtes on this property, Dover, Bear Spring,. 
Bellwood and Randolph, all of which have been improved and are so 
located that timber, iron ore, farming land, fire-clay, limestone and 
water are convenient and abundant to all. Stone-coal of excellent 
quality for coking is within 100 miles by rail. 

The four farms of the Cumberland Iron Works produced in 1861 ;, 
45,000 bushels of corn ; 
1,000 tons of clover, timothy and herds grass hay ; 
2,000 bushels of oats ; 
300 bushels of barley ; 
200 bushels of rye ; 
with potatoes, turnips, cabbage, and other vegetables sufficient for the 
entire population of the works, about 3,000 persons. 

LAGEANGE lEON MILL COMPANY. 

The furnaces belonging to the Lagrange Company are situated near 
the Tennessee!, river, in the south-western corner of Stewart county,, 
and are operated by the same company. They are within a mile of 
eack other, a small stream called Leatherwood, a tributary of the 
Tennessee river, separating them. Another furnace, the Eclipse, 
not in running order, belongs to the same company. This is five 
miles east of Lagrange Furnace, on Hurricane Creek. 

Embraced in the company's property are 45,000 acres. - The Lou- 
isville and Nashville Railroad runs through it, and it has a river frcmt, 
interrupted by a few farms, extending for ten miles. There are about 
9,000 acres of timber of the original growth, and twice that amount 
in second growth, much of it large enough for coaling purposes. 
Seven hundred acres are cleared and in cultivation, mostly river bot- 
toms. The arable land is rented or leased to tenants by the company, 
the tenants agreeing to pay one-third of the crop and to sell the surplus 
to the company at rates agreed upon at the beginning of the year. 
Near the furnaces are five hundred acres of land, with excellent soil, 
not yet opened. 

Clark Furnace has a capacity of 17 tons per day. It is a hot-blast, 
charcoal furnace, stone stack 36 feet high, and ten feet across the bosh. 
The hot-blast consists of 32 upright pipes, with 27 cross pipes under 
the boilers. An attempt was made by building a wrought-iron turret 
12 feet high upon the top of the furnace, to utilize the hot-blast taken 
out at the side flues, as is done with the stone-coal furnaces, but it 
failed owing to the feebleness of the charcoal gases. It was afterwarcte 



Appendix, i8i 

changed to a combination of Magoon's and Player's hot-blast. This 
furnace is within two miles of Tennessee river. 

Lagrange Furnace has a capacity of 15 tons daily. It has a brick 
stack 35 feet high and nine feet across the bosh. It has the ring hot 
blast with cross pipes under the boilers. Ores of pure quality are 
found all around these furnaces. North-east of Clark Furnace, half a 
mile, some pipe ore has been recently discovered, though the quantity 
is inconsiderable. It is quite probable that it would be found in Avork- 
able quantities by more extended excavations in the hill in which it 
found. 

The bank most used in connection with Clark Furnace, is situated 
half a mile north-west of the furnace, and occupies the crest and slopes 
of a ridge running east and west and quite 200 feet high and three 
quarters of a mile long. The openings are on the northern slope 
mainly. The ore is easily mined, occurriiag mostly in large pots. A 
little east of this bank is another, which though but recently opened 
promises well. Here the ore lies in large compact measures imbedded 
in a yellowish gravelly clay. From this bank, which occupies the 
crest of the ridge, the ore could be taken by a tramway to the furnace — 
the distance being less than half a mile. From indications on the 
southern slope of the ridge, the ore here is fully forty feet thick. 
Throughout the whole ridge, are abundant signs of ore of good quality. 
The sides and crest have been denuded of timber, which has been 
consumed in the manufacture of charcoal. 

The old bank, 600 yards from Lagrange, has been worked for a 
quarter of a century, and excavations, covering an acre in the aggre- 
gate, have been made to the depth of 50 feet ; and several drifts have 
been run into the sides of the hill. Black jack and pot ores are most 
frequent in the old banks, and great boulders of these ores are seen on 
"the sides of the excavations. 

At the greatest depths the pots are not so numerous^ and the ore 
becomes more compact and freer from impurities. A boring has been 
made 80 feet below the water level at the old bank, disclosing ore of 
prime quality all the way down. Adding this to the height of the 
bank, makes 130 feet of clear ore. 

The Sheridan Bank, recently opened, is one of the best in the State, 
and the only one in which the company employs hands to work by 
the day. The bank here shows a face of ore nearly solid, forty feet 
high and 250 yards around. The bottom of this bank is solid ore. 
Great curtain-like mosses sometimes occur, hanging from above 20 or 
30 feet in height, contorted like the folds of heavy cloth. These 
curtains, when broken, are found to be crystallized, showing an inter- 
nal structure, zigzagged, radiated, mammillary, and spiculated. They 
are usually about two inches thick and furnish an excellent ore, which 
works easily. The stripping here varies from five to six feet. The 
same deposit is discovered in the ridge half a mile further south. 

A bank near the river furnishes an ore nearly resembling bog ore ; 
and another, the Lew Wallace bank, near by, affords a small ore which 



1 82 Appendix. 

is washed by a machine and mixed with other ores. Lagrange Fur- 
nace itself is situated on an ore bank, and south of the furnace is a 
ridge which yields ore for six miles. The ores of the banks attached 
to these furnaces are among the richest in the State. A piece of 
the " curtain ore/' containing small stellated nodules, analyzes as 
follows : 

Ore from Lagrange Furnace. — No. 15 

Water.. 10.76 

Silica 5.45 

Iron' 59.57 

Oxygen combined 25.53 

Sulphur trace. 

Phosphorus 0.16 

A analysis of needle ore, or fibrous hematite rather, taken from the 
Lagrange banks, has been given on page 172. 

Another specimen, analyzed by J. Blodgett Britton of Philadelphia,^ 
gives the following results : 

Ore from Lagrange Furnace. — No. 16. 

Water 9.10 

Insoluble silica 1.40 

Pure iron in the form of sesquioxide 52.97 

Oxygen with iron 23.41 

Alumina 1-36 

Lime 40 

Sulphur 03 

Phosphorus 06 

Prof. E, S. Wayne, of Cincinnati, obtained the following result 
from a selected piece of ore, which shows a correspondence with No.. 
10, analyzed by Prof. Burton : 

Ore from Lagrange Furnace. — No. 17. 

Peroxide of iron 95.34 

Phosphorus and sulphur trace. 

Potash trace. 

Lime ^ 21 . 

Silica .*. 3.71 

Loss 74 

Equal to 65.75 per cent, of pure iron. This, like No. 10, must have 
been a hematite. 

A piece of concretionary or pot ore, from Clark Furnace, which 
enveloped a fine sand, shows the annexed analysis : 

Ore from Clark Furnace. — No. 18. 

Water 10.54 

Silica..... 12.35 

Iron 62.07 

Oxygen combined 22.31 

Sulphur 0.09 

Phosphorus ,. 0.14 

This ore also contains manganese. 

Fire-clay of excellent quality is found between Clark and Lagrange- 
Furnaces, convenient to both. 



Appendix, 183; 

The whole region included between the Tennessee and Cumberland 
rivers in Stewart county, is singularly rich in iron ores. Sandstone- 
also occurs upon the highest hills, eight or ten miles north of the- 
Lagrange Furnace, and answers well for furnace hearths. It is a 
loosely cemented rock, very soft to work, but is said to be as durable 
for furnace hearths as the " Junior " sandstone from Ohio. Limestone- 
is everywhere abundant on the streams. 

Some excellent iron properties occur farther north. At Payne's 
Landing, there are several fine outcrops of good ore, some of which 
has given satisfaction in Pittsburg furnaces. This is in the midst ot 
great forests of valuable timber, and within one mile of the Tennessee 
river. Another property, said to be very valuable, consisting of 12,- 
000 acres, lies between the two rivers, which at that point are within 
a few miles of each other. There is an old stack and excellent roads 
to both rivers. This property has been in litigation, and was only 
lately thrown on the market. It is called the "Great Western Furnace" 
tract. 

LAWRENCE COUNTY ORE. 

The south-western part of Lawrence county has valuable deposits 
of limonite, at no distant day to become of great importance, since the 
county is soon to be opened by a narrow guage railway running from 
Memphis to Knoxville, much of which is now under construction. 
This iron region is a part of the Western belt, and the ore begins six 
miles south-west from Lawrenceburg. The ridge in which it occurs 
at that point, extends north-west and south-east, uniting on the west 
at the distance of two miles, with the main deposits, which traverse 
the western part of the county in a direction north and south. For 
many years the ore obtained at this point was used in some forges in 
the vicinity of Lawrenceburg. The quality of iron was very superior 
for blacksmithing, being soft, tough, yet easily wrought. The ore is 
mainly pot, with some black jack. In the latter, doubtless, is a trace 
of manganese. 

Nine miles south-west of this bank, on the dividing ridge between 
Knob and Chism Creeks, afl&uents of Shoal Creek, is an outcrop of 
limonite, covering several hundred acres. This is known as Wright's 
bank. The country is dissected by gorges into rounded hills and flat 
ridges. Upon the tops of these hills and ridges, and also upon the 
slopes, the ore shows itself in great abundance. Wherever a gully 
has been eroded, the sides are roughened with blocks of ore imbedded 
in a rich, unctions, red clay. 

Ore from Wright's Bank, — No. 19. 

Water 11.83 

Silica 1.01 

Iron 59.60 

Oxygen combined 25.54 

Sulphur 0.16 

Phosphorus 1.06 



184 Appendix. 

This shows great richness for limonite, and an almost inappreciable 
amount of silica. Indeed the ores of Lawrence county are singularly- 
free from all extraneous substances. Even the surface ore is workable 
and exists in considerable abundance. 

The soil is of more than average fertility, and the timber, especially 
on the northern slopes and in the valleys, will yield from 40 to 60 
<;ords of wood per acre. White oak, red oak, chestnut, poplar,* 
hickory and postoak, named in the order of their predominance, are 
the principal varieties on the hills ; while beech, sugar trees and a few 
walnuts occur upon the lower lands. 

West of Wright's bank, across Chism's Fork, is the Tucker bank, 
which presents ore of the same quality and equal in quantity to the 
Wright bank. 

Two miles north of the Wright bank, on the same ridge, is the 
Wisdom bank, which is not inferior in the quality of its ore to any 
mentioned. 

Pullen & Couch's bank, covering 200 acres or more, is on the west 
side of Shoal Creek, three miles further south. Shoal Creek is a trib- 
utary of the Tennessee river. 

Two miles below the last named bank, on the east side of Shoal 
Creek, is the Ford bank, Avhich is one mile long and qiiite half a mile 
wide. Lying underneath this bank is a crystallized carbonate of lime, 
which bears a good polish and is much admired by some persons. It 
has a subdued yellowish tint, with blotches or dots of red. 

The old Vanleer banks, which were worked from 1830 to 1835, are 
two miles west of the last mentioned, and consist of several groups of 
rounded hills. 

To sum up the advantages which this county affords for the manu- 
facture of iron, we may say : 

1. The ores are very abundant and pure, easily mined, and easily 
smelted. 

2. The timber is superior to that found in any other iron district in 
the State. 

3. The country is well drained, the whole region healthy, the soil 
productive, and the lands cheap. 

4. The region is well watered, there being more water-powers occu- 
pied in this county than in any other in the State. 

The outlets now building, and the land with its resources un- 
locked by reason of these outlets, and the tide of immigration which 
is pouring in, will make this one of the most prosperous counties in 
the State. 

■•■■ Wherever poplar is used in this work, the lyriodendron iidipifera, or tulip tree, is 
meant. 



Appendix. 185 

CUMBERLAND FURNACE. 

This furnace is in Dickson county, and lies upon Barton's Creek, a 
tributary of.Cumberland river. It is hot-blast, charcoal, and has a ca- 
pacity of 12 tons per day. Height of stack 35 feet; between #he bosh 
lOJ feet. The hoop blast is used, by which the blast is heated to about 
800° before entering the furnace. This was substituted for Dove's, 
with a manifest increase in the temperature of the blast. The engine 
attached has a cylinder 16 inches in diameter, stroke 5 feet, 2 boilers 
40 inches by 40 feet, 2 air cylinders 40 inches in diameter, ^\ feet 
stroke. Thirty-eight charges are made in 12 hours, each containing: 

Charcoal ". 20 bushels. 

Ore roasted 800 lbs. 

Limestone 80 lbs. 

The quality of the pig is No. 1 Foundry iron, open grained, diark 
gray, soft strong iron. About one-tenth is mill iron. The employees 
are all hired by the year. Nearly all have families and are settled on 
the place. They are mostly negroes. 

The following prices were paid for labor in 1875. For the present 
year wages have been largely reduced : 

Common laborers, per month and rations $ 18 00 

Keepers, per month 30 00 

Fillers 30 00 

Superintendent, per annum 1500 00 

Foundryman, per annum 1000 00 

Book-keeper, per annum 1500 00 

Coaling ground manager, per annum 700 00 

Two farm managers, each, per annum. , 600 00 

Ore bank manager, per annum 700 00 

All employees are paid in goods, except such sums as may be due 
them at the expiration of the year or term of contract. Most of the 
employees, however, keep up with their wages. The proprietor, Capt. 
Drouillard, estimates that by hiring his hands for wages and exercising 
a vigilant superintendence, the cost of charcoal does not exceed 6 cents 
per bushel of 2688 inches. Ore is delivered at two dollars per ton 
green from the banks. After being roasted and screened, the yield 
from the furnace is about 50 per cent. Hearthstones are obtained 
from Sciota county, Ohio, twenty miles above Portsmouth. 

The ore is dug from the north side of Barton's Creek, from a line 
of hills running westward from the furnace for six miles. The first 
bank is on the side of a ridge facing south, half a mile west of the 
furnace. It has been worked for 78 years, but exhibits no signs of 
exhaustion. The pot ore is found in this bank mainly. ♦ The internal 
surface of the pots is sometimes splendidly beautiful in its irridescence. 
The mining has been done in this bank to the depth of sixty feet. 
The ore is overlaid by agglutinated chert and orange sand. The 
stripping varies from two to fifteen feet, and one man is able with ease 
to raise two tons per day. About one keg of blasting powder is con- 



1 86 Appendix, 

sumed each week in the mines. A few of the lumps of ore are very- 
large, weighing sometimes from 50 to 60 tons. The large blocks are 
usually massive and not hollow concretions, and the value of the ore is 
sometimes, but not often, impaired by the predominance of siliceous 
matter in the form of chert. The matrix is a clay varying in color 
from a light cream to a deep red. The ore lies in sinuous lines or 
veins, thinning down to a mere thread, or swelling out into great 
lentiform masses, fifteen or twenty feet thick. These lines or veins 
are groups of blocks separated by thin seams of clay. 

A quarter ot' a mile farther west is the McCurdy bank, which has 
been worked by the present owner about five years. The ore found 
here is heavier and purer, A deep red clay constitutes the matrix, 
with striated veins of white clay. The excavations are not as numer- 
ous as at the Bell bank. The mining, however, has been carried to 
the depth of 50 feet. At that depth a bed of solid ore forms the bottom. 
Few pots are found here. The ore is more compact. After being 
roasted it yields 55 per cent, from the furnace. 

West of this 300 yards, is the Drake bank, which displays more 
solid ore than either of the others mentioned. The ore in this bank 
lies at a lower level and occurs in great ledges, which crop out above 
ground in the ravines and depressions. It resembles blocks of bitu- 
minous coal. It is very black and has a rich greasy and glossy ap- 
pearance. An analysis of a specimen from this bank gives the follow- 
ing result : 

Ore from Cumberland Furnace. — No. 20. 

Water 10.13 

Silica 5.21 

Iron 58.68 

Oxygen combined 25.14 

Sulphur 0.07 

Phosphorus 0^84 

This specimen also contains manganese, and would piK)bably make 
spiegeleisen. The matrix is red, white and yellow clays. Specimens 
of needle ore are met with in this bank. The excavation has gone 
below the surface 25 feet. This bank is not in the main ridge, but in 
a spur that runs out from it in a southerly direction. 

Still farther west are the Burton bank. Yellow bank. Dry Hollow 
bank, and many others, which will compare favorably with those 
already mentioned. The only objection to them is their distance from 
the furnace. The practice is to work the banks during the dry weather 
of summer, undermining and leaving the stripping overhead. When 
the entrance has been extended as far as is deemed safe for the miners, 
the bank is left until a wet season causes the overhanging clay to fall 
in. This is then removed and the mining continued as before. 

This iron property is historical. Here the first ore was dug and the 
first iron made west of the Cumberland Mountains. This was done in 
1797 by General Eobertson. In 1810 Mr. Montgomery Bell came in 



Appendix. 187 

possession, and here were made the cannon balls used by Gen. Jackson 
in the battle of New Orleans. 

The entire property consists of 16,000 acres, about 1,500 of which 
are cleared and in cultivation. The farm is cultivated in corn, wheat, 
and hay. Five hundred acres were planted in corn in 1875, which 
made about 20,000 bushels. In millet there were 150 acres, making 
300 tons, and in wheat 200 acres, which yielded ten bushels per acre. 

Between twenty-five and thirty hands are kept constantly employed 
on the farm, Avho are paid an average for men and women |13 per 
month and rations. The number of mules on the farm and at the 
furnace is 150. Several teams are kept employed in hauling 23ig iron 
to Betsy's Landing, on the Cumberland river, eight miles distant. 
When carried by contract, the price is $2 per ton. About one-half of 
the lands belonging to the property can be cultivated with profit. 
The valley of Barton's Creek is, in some respects, a beautiful one. 
The bordering line of hills is more subdued than in other parts of" 
the county, and the landscape is diversified with pleasing alternations 
of hill and valley. Heavy timber, consisting of oaks principally,, 
cover the tops and slopes of the ridges. Some hickory, ash and pop- 
lar {lyriodendron tulijjifera) are found in the valleys and on the north- 
ern slopes of the hills, and a few chestnuts upon the higher ridges.. 
The timber on some of the lands has been cut oif twice for making 
charcoal. About 7,000 acres are now covered with a second growth,, 
nearly all of which will yield -30 cords per acre. The quantity and 
excellence of the ore, the abundance of timber, the number of peren- 
nial streams that enliven the valleys and furnish excellent water 
powers, the healthfulness of the situation, and the number and con- 
venience of the buildings, all conspire to make this as near a perpetual 
iron property as any in the State. For three quarters of a century iron 
has been manufactured here, and there is no reason for believing that 
it will not be made on the same spot a century hence. 

stone's bank. 

Three miles and a half south of Bon Aqua Station, on the North- 
western Railroad, this bank is found. Geologically, like all others in 
the Western iron belt, it occurs in the lithostrotion bed of the lower 
carboniferous. The fossil coral is everywhere abundant, as well as 
large beds of chert. The ore lies imbedded in a matrix of clay, much 
like those already mentioned. It is found in great abundance. It 
was once worked in a bloomary and made excellent bar iron. Other 
banks occur near abandoned furnaces, but will be of but little value 
until the timber reproduces itself. 

Worley Furnace also lies near the railroad in the same county, but 
it is not now in blast. The banks around it furnish rich ores in great 
quantities. In 1849 there were six furnaces and four forges in opera- 
tion in the county. 



1 88 Appendix. 

HICKMAN COUNTY ORES. 

It is impossible, within a limited space, to give the reader a correct 
idea of the immense iron banks of Hickman county. They cover 
fully one-fourth of the hilly surface of the county, and at some places 
rise in great ridges two or three hundred feet above the level of the 
streams. The streams are usually deeply cut; these cuts passing 
through the Sub-carboniferous, Devonian, Upper Silurian, down to 
the Nashville series of the Lower Silurian. The iron deposits are 
found in the siliceous group of the Sub-carboniferous. When deposits 
:are found below the Black Shale, as is sometimes the case, they have 
been formed from the erosion of outcrops lying above. On the banks 
•of Piney Fork iron ore is found associated in considerable quantities 
with the Lowfer Helderburg and Niagara rocks of the Upper Silurian, 
but it has tumbled down from the precipitous cliffs that overhang tlie 
stream. So abundant is the iron debris, that a furnace might be run 
from it. 

At this point, eight miles south of Centreville, is the finest present- 
ation of ore in the Western Iron Belt, if not in the State. Brushy 
Creek has a general course to the north-east, Piney to the north-west. 
United, they form the Beaver Dam, a tributary of Duck river. Be- 
tween Brushy and Piney the country is very elevated, rising probably 
500 feet above the bed of the streams. A gorge one mile long and 
two hundred yards wide lies on the south side of Brushy. On the 
east side of this gorge and between it and Piney, are the celebrated 
-^tna Banks, the most extensive that have yet beeij opened in the 
State. Here, including the deposits on the western side of the gorge, 
are three square miles of ore-land with a depth of ore varying from 
ten to 120 feet. Several extensive excavations have been made and 
the blocks of ore stand out like the houses of an exhumed city. Many 
of these blocks would weigh thousands of tons. The blocks are usu- 
ally made up of a congeries of small puts, or rather they resemble a 
hardened mass of brown, boiled, porous pitch, with more or less white 
gparry matter intermingled. The structure is shelly or honey- 
combed, and the ore very brittle, easily broken in pieces with a ham- 
mer. Only the northern end of this vast deposit has been opened, 
and though many thousand tons of metal have been made from the 
■ore raised at this point, the banks have not been fairly opened. What 
has been done is a mere pit on the square miles of ore. 

The ore is a hydrous oxide, with a less proportion of water than is 
found in limonite ; is of excellent quality, making very superior iron. 
On the eastern side of Piney Fork the ore extends nearly to the 
Maury county line, and lies between Swan Creek and Piney Fork on 
the high ridges. 

One mile south-east of Vernon, the old county seat, and north of 
Duck River, are other banks almost or quite as valuable as the ^tna 
banks. The ore crops out here in large boulders. The ridge contain- 
ing this ore extends for one and a half miles, the old Oakland banks 



Appendix. 1 89 

occi^pying the eastern extremity. On the west side of these banks 
there are 30,000 acres of original timber, consisting of black oak 
mainly, which will yield from 40 to 60 cords per acre, and 75,000^ 
acres of the same character of timber lie on the east. 

Some eighteen or twenty other banks, furnishing ore of prime qual- 
ity, exist in this county. Among the more important are those on 
Garner's Creek, Mill Creek, Defeated Creek, Haley's Creek, and 
Jerry's branch. The probable early construction of the Dtick River 
Valley Rarilroad from Johnsonville to Columbia, extending through 
this county, will open up this valuable mineral district. It is now 
land-locked, with no outlet either by water or rail. No place in the 
United States can offer superior facilities for the manufacture of char- 
coal iron, when means of transportation shall be provided. 

The adjoining county of Humphreys has some good banks of iron, 
ore. One of these lies on Turkey Creek, near the Tennessee river, 
and is valuable in having an outlet by water to the markets of the 
world. Some of the ore from these banks in my possession has a 
handsome and rich appearance, though I have not yet obtained an. 
analysis of it. 

WHITE COUNTY OEES. 

About three and a half miles a little west of north from Sparta, oc- 
curs a line of low hills, running in a north-west direction for several 
miles, in which a very good quality of brown oxide is found. The surface- 
of the hills is covered with a water- worn gravel of a dirty yellow ap- 
pearance, intermingled with masses of chert and yellow clay. The ore 
occurs in lumps of all sizes, often weighing as much as 300 lbs. The 
hills are conical and about 30 feet above the general surface of the 
Calf Killer Valley, covering from 1 to 5 acres each and sej)arated, 
from one another by ravines. The deposits extend in a south-easterly 
direction for about 5 miles. The iron made from this ore is very 
tough and is especially valuable for making horse-shoes and ploughs. 
The Board Valley Mountain, lying ten miles north of Sparta, is a 
well-timbered ridge 500 feet high and 8 miles long, containing iron ore 
in considerable quantities. 

An analysis of an average specimen of White county iron ore, which, 
was compact, with disseminated quartz, gave the result below ; 

White County Ore.— No, 21. 

Water 6.09 

Silica ^ 9.31 

Iron I. 48.58 

Oxygen combined 20.82 

Sulphur 0.10 

Phosphorus 0.29 

The specimen also contained a sensible quantity of manganese 
which was not separated. 



1 90 Appendix. 

OKE OF SEQUATCHEE VALLEY. 

This valley is a deep cleft in the Cumberland Table-land, enclosed 
between the main Table-land on the west and Walden's Ridge on the 
east. It is a low valley, hollowed out of solid strata of rock which 
once composed the Table-Land, when Waldon's liidge and the West- 
ern arm were continuous. An anticlinal ridge was here thrown 
up, which burst on the back, exposing the softer rocks. These softer 
rocks were eroded, leaving the solid walls rising sheer 1,000 feet, 
with the original strata, dipping from both sides backward. 
The valley has an average width of 4 miles, and from Jasper, near the 
foot of the valley, to its head is 70 miles, overlooked, throughout the 
entire distance, by bold precipitous cliffs of sandstone. Strata crop 
out in these cliffs along both sides from the lower beds of the Upper 
Silurian up through the coal-measures. 

Hugging the escarpment on the north-east and south-west are two 
.minor valleys averaging a mile in width. Near the centre of the 
valley is a series of round hills. Instead of seeking either of 
the minor valleys on either side, the Sequatchee River winds 
down among the hills in the centre of the valley. On the south- 
eastern side of the valley there is a chain of low rounded hills, 
called knobs, which are singularly rich in beds of fossil ore. Be- 
ginning 4| miles above Jasper, this ore crops out for 60 miles, 
the stratum varying from two to four feet. ~ ISTine miles from Jasper, 
the outcrop is the largest which I have ever seen of the dyestone seam. 
The stratum is composed of three ledges, of which the top ledge is 
limestone adhering to the ore. The stratum dips slightly towards the 
mountain. The iron ore deposit is cut through by several ravines 
extending to the foot of Walden's Ridge, on the eastern escarpment of 
the valley. The ore crops out along the face of Walden's Ridge at 
the head of these ravines, about 200 feet above the lowest point of the 
valley. From this point the ore may be said to be continuous for 14 
miles. After that the iron ridge is broken in mountain spurs. Iron 
ore, in the form of nodules, occurs in the ridges near the head of the 
valley, and in several minor hills near it. 

Furnaces could be built in many places along the Sequatchee 
river, with tramways constructed so as to bring the ore from the south- 
eastern side and the coal from the north-western side of the valley. 
The mountain slopes are covered with extensive forests, although 
timber is not plentiful in the valley. A railroad from Jasper connects 
with the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, and an English company 
is opening coal banks some ten miles up the valley and constructing a 
railway to that point. 

A specimen of the ore taken from the Mitchell farm where the car- 
1)onate of lime was in excess, was analyzed with a view of ascertaining 
whether it contained iron enough to justify working, which can 
be done without the addition of any flux. The analysis is given 
below : 



Appendix. 191 

Sequatchee Valley Ore. — No. 22. 

Water 2.54 

Silica 5.08 

Iron 39.04 

Oxygen Combined 16.73 

Sulphur trace. 

Phosphorus 5.04 

Carbonate of lime — not determined. 

BLACK MARBLE. 

Blount councy has deposits of black marble in sufficient quantities 
to supply the world. From Abram's Oreek, a tributary of the Little 
Tennessee, for a distance of six miles south-west, this marble is every- 
where seen. It rises at places in huge mountains 200 feet or more in 
height. This marble has a singular beauty. With a black ground it 
has white reticulated veins of calcite permeating it in every conceiva- 
ble direction. It bears a fine polish. It may here be mentioned that 
no State in the Union can equal Tennessee in the beauty and variety 
•of its marble. One hundred and fifty specimens have been collected 
in the State Museum, all differing in the commingling of colors. From 
the pure white to the jet black, red, brown, gray, yellow, flesh-colored, 
variegated, — all these colors and shades are represented. 

LITHOGRAPHIC STONE. 

In the present state of the lithographic and chromo-lithographic 
arts, the fine-grained and Q^ceedingly rare stone, suitable for this pur- 
pose, is of great importance. The lithographic stone of Bavaria was 
awarded a premium at Paris in 1865, and that of Solenhofen, Bavaria, 
is largely imported. Large deposits of this valuable stone are found 
in McMinn county, Tennessee, which are said to equal the Bavarian. 
If this be true, it will prove of inestimable value. It lies between two 
beds of variegated marble. The stratum is thought to run entirely 
through the county, but some of the stone is too hard for lithographic 
purposes. The best is found 8 miles east of Athens, on the farm of 
Robert Cochrane, and a quarry has been opened by a Cincinnati com- 
pany, which only pays a royalty of $250 per annum. It is sold for 
nearly the same price as the Bavarian stone. It is a calcareous and 
argillaceous stone, formed of the finest sediment, of uniform texture, 
and possesses a pearl grey tint. The best variety of this stone has a 
conchoidal fracture and is free from spots of all kinds. 

Some good-looking specimens have also been sent to me by Dr. 
Jarnagin from Jefferson county. 

COAL. 

The coal measures of the Cumberland Table-Land have been ex- 
tensively treated of in a preceding part of this publication. 



192 Appendix. 

If the railroad which now runs from Cowan, on the Nashville and 
Chattanooga Raili|)ad, to Sewanee, was extended five or six miles 
further east, it would open as fine a coal 'field as exists in the State. 
Here, as well as at Sevvauee, the top of the mountain is cut by numer- 
ous ravines or gorges, which expose the coal and make the opening of 
mines an unimportant matter. Up these ravines tramways or railroads 
may be built, and the cars taken up almost under the very outcroppings 
of the coal seams. Thousands of acres lying north and east of Sewa*- 
nee now await but the hand of industry to tap their rich and well- 
nigh exhaustless stores of coal. Of all the coal fields none is more 
accessible or more inviting to the capitalist. Eastward to Dunlap and 
north through the eastern parts of Grundy, the western parts of Se- 
quatchee and Bledsoe, through the eastern parts of Van Buren and 
White, there are deposits of coal, that in Pennsylvania would be worth 
from one hundred to five hundred dollars per acre, that are untouched,, 
unknown and unappreciated. See Report on Little Seqwatchee Coal- 
Field, published by this department. 

WHITE COUNTY COAL. 

The coal beds of White county are a part of the great fields just 
mentioned, and are described here because they have been recently 
visited and explored by the writer in person. The entire eastern part 
of White county belongs to the coal formation the northern edge of 
which is scalloped by coves, the spurs of the mountain jutting out like 
the teeth of a saw. These coves give easy access to the strata of coal 
which crop out all along the western margin, up which railways 
may be constructed with comparatively little cost, and sufficiently far 
beneath the coal seams to allow of easy loading by chutes. Several 
mines have been opened east of Sparta, supplying excellent grate coal, 
which burns like a pine knot. Four miles east of Sjiarta a stratum of 
coal was measured by the writer four feet in thickness, parted by 
a seam of cannel coal, which at the outcrop was about one inch in 
thickness, increasing until at 30 feet it measured from Zh, to 4 inches. 
This is the Fisk Bank. It belongs to the shale vein of the Low6r 
Coal Measures. The slope here is gradual. The coal a hard block, of 
semi-lustrous appearance, and will bear transportation well. It leaves 
a white ash. The underclay is four or more feet in thickness, while 
overlying the coal is a bluish shale which is but the underclay of a 
stratum above. The bed of clay underlying the lower stratum rests 
upon sandstone, which is here about 100 feet thick, with inter- 
stratified shales, itself resting on the mountain limestone. 

Little's Bank, lying further north, is more extensively worked than 
any in the county. The drift has been driven in about 70 feet, with 
no cross-entries. The thickness of the seam at the outcrop is 44 in.,, 
which at 70 feet has increased to 4J feet. Three feet below this seam 
is another 3^ feet thick, which was worked many yiears ago and fur- 
nished coal equal in quality to the one now worked. Six feet above 



Appendix. 193 

the first mentioned, is another seam 2 feet thick, of a similar character. 
The three seams at this point will aggregate a thickness of ten feet. 

Various other openings have been made, all in the Lower Measures, 
which fully demonstrate the fact that the whole western escarpment 
of the Cumberland Table-land in this county has outcrops of coal 
which, in the aggregate, will measure from 8 to 10 feet. The distance 
from the extreme southern opening to the one lying farthest north, is 
22 miles; while east of Sparta 16 miles, and 12 miles from Little's 
Bank, coal appears at Scarborough's mills in seams several feet thick. 
This is the Sewanee seam. This coal is found in a valley-like depres- 
sion in the mountain and is covered by only about 6 feet of sandy soil. 
In general terms it may be affirmed that the whole eastern part of 
White county is underlaid with coal of great variety and excellence, 
easily worked, and covering in all an area of quite 200 square miles. 
These same outcrops in the Lower Measures continue south-east into 
Van Buren county. On Big Hill branch a tributary of Cane Creek, 
six miles east of Spencer, good lump coal occurs in a seam 6 feet thick. 
It has been used for 25 years, and is highly esteemed for its welding 
properties. 

Another presentation occurs in the bed of the same branch 200 feet 
below the top of the mountain. Two miles north-west of this place, 
on the east side of Cane Creek, Mooney's heirs' Bank is situated, and 
the seam is five feet thick. This seam is nearly one hundred feet 
above that last described. On both sides of Cane Creek for 12 miles, 
coal occurs in workable quantities, and is easily reached. These 
banks belong to the lower coal measures, all the seams being below 
the conglomerate, except those on Clift's Creek and at Scarborough's 
mills. The seams are regular, the coal of good quality, free from slate, 
with a very small per cent, of sulphur. It burns freely, leaving as a 
residuum a white ash. A peculiarity of the lower coal measures of this 
region is noticeable. In Pennsylvania they are called " the barren 
measures," because the coal seams cannot be relied upon, thinning out 
in both directions. 

In an elaborate article on the subject of coal, prepared for Appleton's 
Cyclopaedia, by S. H. Daddow, this fact is noticed : " The conditions 
for coal making," says Mr. Daddow, " appear to have existed in the 
south earlier than farther north ; consequently coal is found in rocks 
which in the north are subcarboniferous and produce no coal." 

These seams in White county are continuous, varying but little in 
thickness and lying almost horizontal. In Marion and Hamilton 
counties the seams of these measures are liable to variations in thick- 
ness. At one point a seam was opened which was 6 feet at the outcrop, 
increased to 9 feet and fell off to 3, thus showing the lenticular struc- 
ture of the ore in the lower measures of those counties. In White 
county, on the contrary, the seams have varied very little, though 
gradually increasing with the length of the adit. 

The following section from Little's Bank will no doubt apply "to the 
13 



194 Appendix. 

western margin for several miles. Beginning at the top and descend- 
ing, we have : 

1 Conglomerate covering rock 40 to 60 ft. 

2 Shale 75 " 

3 Sandstone 12 " 

4 Coal 2 " 

5 Shale and fire clay 6 " 

6 Coal, main entry 44 in. at outcrop, — cubical... ^\ " 

7 Fire clay and shale 3 " 

8 Coal, worked many years 3|^ " 

9 Underclay 2 " 

10 Shale and sandstone 30 " 

11 Mountain limestone. 

This portion of our coal-field in White and Van Buren counties 
has been little noticed ; however, there has been no way of reaching 
them. There is now a railroad connecting with the Nashville & 
Chattanooga road, in operation as far as McMinnville and is graded 
to Sparta. Negotiations are now pending by which it will probably 
be continued as a regular thoroughfare to the coal and iron regions of 
White county. 

WATER POWER. 

The water power of Tennessee is of great importance and must soon, 
as a means of saving expense of fuel and labor, become a great source 
of wealth. Before the days of railroads, when all the counties were 
on an equal footing in regard to the means of transportation, there 
were profitable manufactories of cotton and woolen goods in many of 
the counties which possessed these water-power facilities. 

Since the establishment of railways, however, most of these counties 
have been, as it were, out of the commercial world. In some of them 
railroads are now in process of construction, and soon there will be 
ample means of transportation for their goods to the commercial marts 
of the Union. They demand the attention of manufacturers, because, 
at this time the necessity of cheapness requires the saving of every 
cent in the cost of manufacturing. 

As a general thing the water-power of Tennessee is very valu- 
able in the counties along the Cumberland Table-land, and in 
those along the Alleghany range. These are the most important 
counties, and their streams flowing from the mountains, where the 
rains are frequent and the water-supply regular, are constant in their 
flow. In East Tennessee the Powell, Clinch, Holston, Watauga, 
Nolichucky, French Broad, Big Pigeon, Little Pigeon, Little Tennes- 
see, Hiwassee, Ocoe river, with their innumerable tributaries from 
the peaks of the Blue Ridge, flowing through the gorges and canons 
among the lofty Unaka, form a water system unsurpassed in any part 
of the world. East Tennessee is a country of rivulets, creeks and 
rivers, with their many waters all flowing continuously from the 



Appendix. 1 95 

mountain peaks of the Unakas to the point where the Tennessee flows 
into Alabama. In the counties of Carter, Johnson, Washington, 
Unicoi, Greene, Cocke, Sevier, Polk, Blount, McMinn, and Monroe, 
the creeks are numerous and constant, their fall sufficient, mill and 
manufactui-ing sites abundant, and these counties are either now or 
soon will be connected with the markets of the world by rail. 

Coming to the Cumberland Table-land, we find the streams from 
even the most eastern edge of that broad plateau flowing westward 
down the slopes of the Cumberland mountains, foaming and dashing 
in wild torrents and leaping cascades, down the valleys between the 
spurs and outliers of the Table-land, and pouring an unceasing water- 
fall over the rim of the Central Basin ; their long white lines of mist 
and creamy foam, like truce-flags in this centennial year, beckoning 
the pursuits of peace and the industries of a prospering people who are 
ready to bind up the rude gaping wounds which war has left. A 
description of the water power of White county will be fairly repre- 
sentative of this region. The power of this county is sufficient to 
work up all the cotton raised in the United States. That on Caney 
Fork, the principal stream if not the best in the county, is at least the 
most powerful. It is one of the longest tributaries of the Upper Cum- 
berland. Rising on the Cumberland Table-land 12 miles east of 
Sparta, it descends through a narrow gorge hemmed in by frowning 
clifl^s for 12 or 15 miles, to a point where it debouches into an undu- 
lating valley plain, passing on westward by many a winding way 
through this valley, it plunges at Rock Island, in a succession of falls 
and rapids extending for 2 J miles, over a siliceous limestone formation. 

At Rock Island, where the piers of a railroad bridge have been 
partly built, there is a fall of five feet, which might be increased by a 
dam so as to furnish any required force. From the island, continuing 
about two miles, a descent of five feet is made by the stream. At this 
point is the principal fall, where the water descends perpendicularly 
twenty-five feet. 

Below the main fall there are rapids with a descent of 6 feet, for a 
distance of 250 yards. Then there occur three falls within 100 yards of 
each other, each about 20 feet, and these are followed by rapids for a 
distance of 30 yards, with a fall of 6 feet. Below the rapids there is 
eddy water for 150 yards. Beyond this, rapids, with a fall of 6 feet, 
extend for 100 yards. From this point back a quarter of a mile to the 
principal falls, the aggregate descent of the stream is 96 feet. Below 
the last mentioned rapid there is a succession of rapids to the Horse- 
shoe Falls, where there is a fall of six feet. The current from this 
point for a distance of two miles is rapid. Four miles below, at Frank's 
Ferry, is the head of steamboat navigation. At many places the 
channel is only 20 yards from the bank, widening to 100 yards. The 
banks and bed of the stream are formed of a hard siliceous limestone, 
from Rock Island to the foot of the rapids. Dams could easily be 
constructed of cheap material lying convenient — so durable as to sus- 
tain any pressure — beyond the danger of undermining, or destruction 



196 Appendix. 

by diversion of the stream around the ends, and of a capacity sufficient 
to secure any force that might be desired. 

Yet this is not the best nor most available water power. Many 
streams in White county have nearly equal power and possess better 
sites for mills and factories. Falling Water is one of these. At one 
point there is a series of rapids, where the descent is 200 feet in a dis- 
tance of 700 yards, and the volume of water large enough for any 
manufacturing purpose. A log pinned down to divert a part of the 
stream is sufficient dato to furnish 80 horse power for a mill. The 
stream is remarkably constant, never very low and never too high. 
A record of fifty years shows no stopping for freshets. 

Taylor's creek, a tributary of Falling Waters, supplies excellent 
power, with a fall of 69 feet in 300 yards, furnishing two mills with 
ample power within 200 yards. Below the lower dam there are 
rapids for a distance of 200 yards, then a succession of falls ten, twenty, 
and one hundred and sixteen feet. The stream has worn a channel in 
the solid rock 50 feet deep before reaching the main fall, so that the 
fall is not so high as the bluff by that distance. 

The Calf Killer also furnishes fine water power within a half mile 
of Sparta. At these falls the Sparta Factory was built many years 
ago, and cotton and woollen goods successfully manufactured. The 
machinery was shipped south during the late war, and has never been 
replaced. There was a dam of 15 feet at the falls, which gave a head 
of 22 feet at the factory. The height of this dam could, with advant- 
age, be increased 10 feet. This is a representative county, as before 
remarked, of those lying along the Table-land. All the counties 
bordering on the basin are well supplied with water powejr. Lawrence 
county, in this respect, is not excelled by any in the State, and nu- 
merous manufacturing establishments are already in successful opera- 
tion on Shoal Creek and its tributaries, making cotton and woollen 
goods. 




The VeU's f'reeh- Ttneit^ • 

^. ,r., '"' Stewart County 







TENNESSEE: 



ITS 



jridultuf kl ki^d }iinef kl We^ltl(, 



APf>ENDIX, 



SHOWING THE 



EXTENT, VALUE AND ACCESSIBILITY OF ITS ORES, 
WITH ANALYSES OF THE SAME. 



BY 

J. B. KILLEBREW^, A. M., 

Cqm'r of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines. 



NASHVILLE: 

Tavel, Eastman & Howell, Printers to the State. 

1876. 















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